This Hamburger Soup is quick, easy, inexpensive, make-ahead friendly, and deeply satisfying. It is elevated by a complex tomato broth spiked with a hint of smoky barbecue goodness that readers call “Delish,” “LOVE IT!” and “Amazing.” Say hello to your new family-favorite soup made on the stovetop or in the crockpot!
Original recipe 4/30/2019, Photos Updated 10/9/2024
Why you’ll love This Hamburger Soup Recipe
Hamburger Soup Ingredients
This recipe uses pantry-friendly ingredients for the broth; then you can mix in all sorts of veggies. Here is my favorite combination: (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
How to Make Hamburger Soup
This Hamburger Soup is simple to make but the complex flavors taste like its been simmering for hours! Let’s take a closer look at how to make it with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Crockpot Hamburger Soup
For an equally easy version, you can use your slow cooker! However, it doesn’t save any effort because you still need to brown the beef in the skillet, so it is best for occasions when you won’t be around and want to come home to a warm dinner waiting in the crockpot.
To make Hamburger Soup in the slow cooker, follow the same instructions for browning the hamburger, onions, celery, and carrots in a pot, then add them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Cooking times can vary based on your slow cooker and the size of your potatoes.
Hamburger Vegetable Soup Recipe Tips
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU ADD TO HAMBURGER SOUP?
This Hamburger Soup is a goulash of sorts-it is completely customizable with protein and veggies. Remember, for whatever you add, you may want to eliminate one of the existing ingredients to keep the correct proportions – or just add more water!
What toppings for hamburger soup Recipe?
We love to top this Hamburger Soup with freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and fresh parsley. You could add cheesy bread, croutons, hot sauce, bacon, and/or chives.
What to Serve with Hamburger Soup?
We love serving our Hamburger Soup with a fresh green salad! Here are some favs:
How to Store Ground Beef Soup
-Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
-Stove: Reheat large batches on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionallyโabout 10 minutes.
-Microwave: Transfer individual servings to a microwave-safe dish and cover with a microwave-safe lid or paper towel. Microwave for 90 seconds, stir, then microwave at 30-second intervals, if needed.
Can I Freeze Hamburger Soup?
I don’t care for the texture of frozen potatoes, but if that doesn’t bother you, freeze this Hamburger Soup as is. Otherwise, eliminate the potatoes and add them fresh once the soup is thawed. To freeze:
1. Cool: Cool the soup thoroughly before freezing.
2. Package: Transfer soup to an airtight freezer-safe container or freezer bag. You can even use sandwich-size plastic bags for individual soup portions. Squeeze out any excess air to prevent freezer burn and label
3. Freeze. Freeze for up to 3 months.
4. Thaw/Reheat. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave, crockpot, or stove.
What to do with leftover Ground Beef Soup
Hamburger Soup can be thickened into more of a stew-like consistency and served as a sauce. Try it:
Looking for More Comforting Soup Recipes?
Italian Vegetable Soup
Lasagna Soup
Taco Soup
Sausage Tortellini Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Zuppa Toscana
Stuffed Peppers Soup
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ยฉCarlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com
Hamburger Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, chopped (1 ½ cups)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped (1 ½ cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (may sub 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tsp EACH ground cumin, salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups red or Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1/2โ chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 5 1/2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
- 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow deli mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)
- 2 teaspoons granulated beef bouillon/better than bouillon or 2 crushed cubes
Garnish (Pick your Favs)
- Cheddar cheese (highly recommended)
- Parsley
- Green onions or Chives
- Sour Cream
Instructions
Stove Top Directions
- Brown the beef with onions, carrots, and celery in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat until the veggies are softened, about 10 minutes. While the beef is cooking, prep the potatoes and bell pepper.
- Drain the excess grease if there is any (shouldn't be much if using lean beef). Add the garlic and spices and sautรฉ for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining soup ingredients, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer (gentle boil) over medium-low heat and cook, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Thin the soup to the desired consistency by adding additional water or broth, but this soup is supposed to be chunky. If desired, garnish individual servings with cheese (recommended!).
Crockpot Hamburger Soup
- Brown the beef with onions, carrots, and celery in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat until veggies are softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess grease from the beef. Add the garlic and spices and sautรฉ for 30 seconds. While the meat is cooking, prep the potatoes and bell pepper.
- Add the beef and the remaining soup ingredients to a 6-quart slow cooker BUT only use 4 cups of broth (instead of 5 1/2) because less liquid will be evaporated while cooking. You can add more broth once the soup is cooked.
- Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Thin soup to desired consistency by adding additional water or broth, but this soup is supposed to be chunky.
- NOTE: Crockpot versions don't have as concentrated of flavor because none of the liquid evaporates while cooking so they generally need more seasoningsย – you may need to doctor the final product.
Notes
recipe variations
This Hamburger Soup is a goulash of sorts- it is completely customizable as far as the add-ins. Just keep in mind, for whatever you add, you may want to eliminate one of the existing ingredients to keep the correct proportions – or just add more water!- Ground Turkey: If you substitute the beef for turkey, you may want to add additional beef bouillon – my secret ingredient when using turkey like in my turkey chili and turkey tacos. It makes your turkey taste like beef! Just be sure to add additional beef bouillon at the end of cooking so you can add to taste and ensure your Hamburger Soup doesn’t taste too salty.
- Other proteins: Although this is “Hamburger Soup,” the flavorful seasoned broth is too good not to savor with other proteins! You can add shredded rotisserie chicken, ground chicken, sliced sausage, mini meatballs, etc.
- Pasta:ย you can substitute the potatoes for 2 cups of uncooked pasta. Add the pasta to the soup after all of the other ingredients and bring it to a simmer. You will need to babysit your pasta and cook just until al dente. You will want to use a smaller pasta like in my Minestrone Soup that is roughly the same size as your chopped veggies. Macaroni, small shells, rotini, etc. are all great pastas for soup.
- Rice: you can substitute the potatoes for cooked rice, specifically wild rice or brown rice for the best texture. You will want to cook the rice separately to ensure proper cooking of the rice and not overcooking of the veggies.
- Zucchini: add zucchini at the same time as the potatoes. The zucchini takes the least amount of time to cook, so cut it on the thick side, at least ยผโ chunks.
- Green Beans: add fresh or canned green beans at the same time as the potatoes.
Corn: add canned corn, frozen corn or fresh corn at the end of the cooking, cover, and heat through for about 2 minutes. - Cabbage: add 2 cups cabbage at the same time as the corn (if using), at the end of cooking, cover and simmer for 2 minutes, just until wilted.
- Beans. Add one (14.5 oz) can of kidney beans or cannellin beans, rinsed and drained, at the end of cooking, the same time as the corn
and/or cabbage (if using), and heat for approximately 2 minutes.
Spinach: add spinach, Swiss chard or baby kale at the end of cooking once the potatoes are tender and just stir to wilt, about 1 minute.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEATย
- To store: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.ย
- To freeze: transfer cooled soup to an airtight freezer safe container or freezer bag.ย Squeeze out any excess air to prevent freezer burn.ย Freeze for up to 3 months.ย Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Stove: reheat large batches on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally โ about 10 minutes.
- Microwave: transfer individual servings to a microwave-safe dish and cover with a microwave-safe lid or paper towel. Microwave for 90 seconds, stir, then continue to microwave at 30-second intervals, if needed.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!
Carlsbad Cravings Original
Gina says
Looks wonderful. I will be swapping Textured Vegetable Protein or Butler Foods Soy Curls for Protein. Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base. Thank you for the great recipes. Have a great weekend.
Jen says
Thanks, enjoy!
Paul W. says
2 tsp of Beef boullion OR 2 tsp beef bouillon powder or beef soup base?
Jen says
Yes, they are all the same, enjoy!
Shirley Waddle says
How much is a serving? Any calorie count on one serving….or maybe it’s so delish that we don’t want to know?! I always enjoy your postings. Thanks.
Jen says
I plead the latter ๐ I don’t calculate nutritional info but you can here: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
2pots2cook says
It seems we have our four seasons favourite ๐ Thank you so much !
Jen says
You’re so welcome, I’m excited for you to try it!
Kathy says
This sounds wonderful and I am going to try it. But since I am only cooking for one person, I do like to freeze individual portions to enjoy later. Can the recipe be frozen since it includes potatoes, or should some other ingredient be substituted? I so enjoy reading your postings!
Jen says
Hi Kathy, I don’t personally like freezing soups with potatoes so I would suggest only adding potatoes to whatever you aren’t freezing or substituting them. Enjoy!
Jude says
Itโs a rainy 47 degree day in Maine! This soup is resting on the stove and will be served shortly for lunch along with Bakewell Cream biscuits! Itโs going to be a hit! It smells so good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Jen says
You are so welcome Jude, thanks for taking the time to comment! It sounds absolutely perfect to warm everyone up!
Kate Braun says
I found this recipe when hunting for a hamburger soup recipe. I made it tonight and LOVE IT!! this recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much!!
Jen says
You’re so welcome, I’m thrilled you love it, thanks Kate!
Garrett says
Iโm confused… smoked paprika is mentioned under spices (โthe smoked paprika adds a little smokiness.โ), but isnโt listed as an ingredient anywhere…
Jen says
My apologies – it should be 1/2 teaspoon. Enjoy!
Jessi says
Delish! My family and I loved this soup. (Didn’t have any bouillon so I skipped it and it was still wonderful.)
Jen says
Thank you so much Jessi! I’m so happy it was a winner with the entire fam!
judi says
OK my boys are very picky eaters – once I started cooking this dish they were in and out of their rooms wondering what smelled so good until they got to the point they had to sit by the pot watching it simmer and tasting it every 5 minutes! Needless to say we always have left overs but not today!! So delicious โค๏ธ
Jen says
You made my day, thanks so much Judi! I am thrilled even your picky eaters loved this Hamburger Soup recipe!
CL Williamsen says
This looks yummy but Iโm on a strict diet. Do you have the nutritional information for this?
Jen says
Hi Cl, you can use ground turkey instead of hamburger if you’d like. As far as nutritional info, you can calculate it at: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator Best!
Marie says
I followed everything to a tee except the liquid smoke for the crackpot version and mine looks more watery than the picture.
Jen says
Hi Marie, the crockpot version will be slightly more watery because liquid doesn’t evaporate when cooking like on the stovetop.
Misty Warren says
Mine was watery too and I made the stovetop version. Feels like the broth measurement is maybe a little off.
Jen says
I really appreciate the feedback! I have reduced the broth in the recipe-hopefully it’s perfect next time!
Jennifer says
I made this exactly as written and it was perfect. The blend of spices and liquid smoke made an amazing broth. I thought I might miss some of the standard vegetables you put in typical vegetable soups, but I didnโt at all. Delish.
Jen says
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Jennifer! I’m so pleased this hamburger soup was such a winner!
Timma Wilson says
I swapped 4 tbsp Sweet Baby Rayโs BBQ sauce for the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and liquid smoke. Turned out fabulous. This soup is going in our regular rotation!
Jen says
Awesome Timma, I’m so pleased to hear that! Thank you!
Karen says
The hamburger soup is delicious! It is very easy to make with ingredients that I had on hand. It is a very hardy and full of wonderful flavors.
Jen says
Thanks so much Karen, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!
Tracey Noullett says
I searched for hamburger soup recipe and this popped up. I was drawn to it by the number of ingredients. I find so many recipes are bland but this recipe is amazing! I substituted potatoes for pasta and it made it almost a goulash. This is amazing. Thanks
Jen says
Thanks so much Tracey! You are probably the one person that likes to see more ingredients – haha – just my style! I’m so pleased you loved this soup!
Janet Crick says
Hey Jen, just wanted to let you know that I absolutely LOVE your recipes. I am remiss I am sorry, I never leave a comment as I usually need to “get’er done”!! Please forgive me, everyone needs cootose. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into all your recipes. You, my darlin’, are a force to be reckoned with!! 10 thumbs up and then more on top of that.
Kindest regards
Janet Crick
Jen says
Hi Janet! Your review made my day! You are so sweet! I totally understand when things are hectic but it is so good to hear from you and that you are loving my recipes! Thank you for your amazing feedback and for coming back for more! Hope you have a wonderful day in gettin’ ‘er done!