Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup

This simple, healthy, and easy hamburger soup recipe is pure comfort in a bowl, and it has stood the test of time for generations! Loaded with ground beef, vegetables, and potatoes, the one pot meal can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for a simple weeknight dinner. Serve each bowl with buttermilk biscuits, a skillet of cornbread, or a simple green salad.

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

My great Aunt Bee has helped carry on my grandmother’s memory by sharing with me some of the recipes that they enjoyed together. This easy hamburger soup is the one dish that Aunt Bee has talked about the most, and she has continued to make it (along with her friends and family) long since my grandmother passed away.

A Recipe for Hamburger Soup

Hamburger soup is a hearty and nourishing one pot meal that’s made with ground beef (also called “hamburger” meat or “hamburg”), vegetables, and often potatoes, macaroni (or other pasta), rice, or barley. The base is typically a thin beef or tomato-based broth, but you can also find creamy versions (sometimes called cheeseburger soup). This hamburger vegetable soup also includes plenty of garlic, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper flakes for a little bit more flavor!

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pot of lazy day hamburger soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Ground beef: also called “hamburger,” you can use any variety available. I typically reach for ground round (85% lean), but you can use ground chuck or ground sirloin (lean ground beef) if you prefer. Ground turkey or ground chicken also work well here. If using the chicken or turkey, you might prefer chicken broth or chicken stock instead of beef broth.
• Onion, garlic, carrots, and celery: fresh vegetables that add flavor, texture, and nutrition to the pot.
• Can of diced tomatoes: I like petite-diced tomatoes, which are just cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces, making it easier to scoop them up with a spoon.
• Green beans: fresh or frozen is fine.
• Potatoes: red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, or peeled, diced russet potatoes is fine.
• Beef broth and water: form the liquid base of the soup.
• Tomato paste: thickens the soup slightly and adds rich tomato flavor.
• Oregano, thyme, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper: spices that make the beef soup taste even better.
• Fresh parsley: for a bright finishing touch.
• Optional additional veggies: diced zucchini, frozen corn, and/or sliced fresh mushrooms.

How to Make Easy Hamburger Soup

I always prepare a big pot of this hamburger vegetable soup in a Dutch oven on my stove top because it’s very easy and it comes together quickly. This isn’t one of those soups that takes hours to simmer on the stovetop. Instead, if you can brown some ground beef, you can handle this soup! That said, you can also adapt the recipe for the slow cooker, so you’ll find those directions below if you prefer the Crock Pot method.

1. Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. Drain off excess grease.
2. Add vegetables, potatoes, broth, water, and seasoning. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low; cover, simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Crockpot Hamburger Soup

To prepare the hamburger soup in the slow cooker, brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet and drain off the fat; transfer to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.

Serving Suggestions

This old-fashioned vegetable beef soup recipe is really an entire meal in one pot! You don’t necessarily need any additional sides, but here are a few options that go well with the dish if you’d like to round out your meal:

• House Salad with Candied Pecans, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, a Classic Caesar Salad, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or a Wedge Salad
• Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
• Fluffy Bakery-Style Cornbread Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
• Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Bread or Cranberry Muffins
• Cheddar Chive Beer Bread (No Yeast, No Knead) or Honey Beer Bread
• Homemade Crescent Rolls or Soft Dinner Rolls
• A loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread or French Baguette

Storage

This is a great make ahead meal that you can prepare in advance and then stash in your refrigerator or freezer for quick meals later in the week. The hamburger soup will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, be aware that the potatoes may become mushy when thawed.

Recipe Variations

My grandmother’s recipe is obviously very basic. I have tweaked it over the years on many different occasions, depending on the ingredients that I have on hand. Here are a few additional ideas to put in hamburger soup:

• Hamburger Soup with Cabbage: this is one option that my grandmother actually used regularly. My cabbage soup recipe is really just a modified version of this soup.
• Noodles or Pasta: in lieu of the potatoes, add a few cups of cooked macaroni, egg noodles, rotini, or other pasta of choice.
• Rice or Barley: both of these short grains make a nice addition to the soup as well! Stir in a few cups of cooked rice or barley at the end of the cooking time.
• Extra veggies: while my grandmother didn’t necessarily add these additional vegetables, I often like to throw in some diced zucchini, frozen corn kernels, and/or sliced fresh mushrooms (all shown here). Frozen peas are also easy to toss in at the end.
• Add more of your favorite seasoning, such as turmeric, paprika, chili powder, or even a dash of curry powder. A dash of Worcestershire sauce also pairs nicely with the beef.
• Fresh herbs! A bit of fresh parsley is the perfect way to brighten up the soup at the very end. My memory of my grandmother’s food is that it was always garnished with fresh parsley! Feel free to use chives, rosemary, or other fresh herbs of choice.

Tips for the Best Hamburger Soup Recipe

• Cut the carrots into a fine dice so that they’re soft by the time the potatoes are done. You don’t want hard, crunchy carrots in your soup, but you also don’t want to have to overcook the potatoes in order to give the carrots time to finish.
• Simmer the soup just long enough for the potatoes to become tender. This typically takes about 15-20 minutes. If you simmer too long, they can become mushy.
• Adjust the heat by using more or less red pepper flakes.
• Depending on the broth that you use, you might need more (or less) salt and pepper. Just taste and season until it’s exactly how you like it!

More Hamburger Soup Recipes to Try

• Cheeseburger Soup
• Easy Taco Soup
• Crockpot Cabbage Soup with Hamburger
• Lasagna Soup
• Cabbage Roll Soup
• Stuffed Pepper Soup

Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup

5 from 6 votes

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

0 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Servings 18 cups

Calories 163 kcal

This simple, healthy, and easy hamburger soup is pure comfort in a bowl, and it has stood the test of time for generations!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, not drained
• 2 cups green beans (I use frozen cut green beans)
• 4 large red potatoes (about 1½ lbs. total), diced into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth or beef stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain, and return to pot.
• Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, tomato paste, broth, water, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender (approximately 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes

• Extra veggies: while my grandmother didn’t necessarily add these additional vegetables, I often like to throw in some diced zucchini, frozen corn kernels, and/or sliced fresh mushrooms (all shown here). Frozen peas are also easy to toss in at the end. She often included chopped cabbage, too.
• Noodles or Pasta: in lieu of the potatoes, add a few cups of cooked macaroni, egg noodles, rotini, or other pasta of choice.
• Rice or Barley: both of these short grains make a nice addition to the soup as well! Stir in a few cups of cooked rice or barley at the end of the cooking time.
• Add more of your favorite seasoning, such as turmeric, paprika, chili powder, or even a dash of curry powder. A dash of Worcestershire sauce also pairs nicely with the beef.
• Fresh herbs! A bit of fresh parsley is the perfect way to brighten up the soup at the very end. My memory of my grandmother’s food is that it was always garnished with fresh parsley! Feel free to use chives, rosemary, or other fresh herbs of choice.
• Cut the carrots into a fine dice so that they’re soft by the time the potatoes are done. You don’t want hard, crunchy carrots in your soup, but you also don’t want to have to overcook the potatoes in order to give the carrots time to finish.
• Simmer the soup just long enough for the potatoes to become tender. This typically takes about 15-20 minutes. If you simmer too long, they can become mushy.
• Adjust the heat by using more or less red pepper flakes.
• Depending on the broth that you use, you might need more (or less) salt and pepper. Just taste and season until it’s exactly how you like it!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 13gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 175mgPotassium: 749mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1916IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg

Keyword: Hamburger Soup, Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in November, 2020. The photos were updated in October, 2022.