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This hamburger soup recipe is a simple and hearty meal made with ground beef, potatoes, and a delicious tomato broth. It’s a budget friendly complete meal that makes excellent leftovers!
You may also like my Hamburger Orzo Soup or Hamburger Stew recipe.
Why you’ll love it
Hamburger soup is one of those classic American comfort food dishes that’s easy to like and friendly on your wallet! You can’t go wrong with this cozy soup that has ground beef, potatoes, and a tomato broth that’s big on flavor.
The best part of this soup is how easy to make it is. It’s also full of inexpensive ingredients, and it’s an extremely versatile and flexible recipe. You can simply toss in whatever veggies you have on hand that need using up, and it’ll taste great.
What is hamburger soup?
- As for the name, it’s called hamburger soup because of the ground beef, which is sometimes referred to as hamburger meat. This soup doesn’t actually taste like hamburgers, and it’s essentially a satisfying and simple ground beef soup. It’s sort of like a quick and easy alternative to Beef Stew.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil, onions, and celery – sautéing these essentials creates the perfect base for this hearty soup
- Garlic – savory goodness
- Ground beef – adding protein makes this soup a complete meal. I like to use lean ground beef so that none/very little fat needs to be discarded during cooking
- Tomato paste and diced tomatoes – using both varieties gives the soup great texture and taste, and tomatoes are a classic complement to ground beef
- Beef broth – another layer of flavor
- Potatoes – Russets are my choice, but in a pinch yellow or red will be fine
- Italian seasoning – it’s a dried herb blend that comes in a single jar for ease
Pro tip
A 32 oz carton of beef broth equals 4 cups. Just pour the entire thing in for this recipe!
How to make hamburger soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a large soup pot, sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until softened. Add in the garlic, and brown the ground beef.
Add in the tomato paste followed by the diced tomatoes, broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then let bubble gently until cooked through.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the Dutch oven I use to make my soup recipes.
- A garlic press makes mincing the garlic effortless (no peeling cloves!), and chop up the potatoes and celery quickly with a quality chef’s knife.
- Break up the ground beef with a spoon or meat chopper.
Substitutions and variations
- If you don’t like having pieces of tomato in your soup, use petite diced tomatoes or sub the diced tomatoes for tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, and then add more broth or water to thin if needed.
- You can throw in any vegetables from your fridge, or you can use frozen chopped mixed vegetables (for example, corn, green beans, carrots, or peas). A handful of spinach added when the soup is nearly done cooking would be terrific!
Helpful tips
- I used Russet potatoes, but feel free to sub with a different kind. I really like using Russets in soups because they fall apart easily since they’re a starchy variety.
- I use lean ground beef (use up to 95% lean if you like), so I don’t find it necessary to discard any of the fat. This saves a bit of work, and the little bit of fat that’s left over gives the soup a flavor boost! You can drain the fat if you want. I certainly recommend draining some out if you use regular ground beef, or the soup will end up oily.
- Depending on what kind of tomatoes you use, your soup could be less vibrant than the photos. That’s totally ok!
Leftovers and storage
- This hamburger soup makes fantastic leftovers, and they’ll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- For best results, heat up in a saucepan slowly over a low heat.
- It also freezes well. Consume within 3 months of freezing for best results.
More soups with ground beef
Do you like hamburger soup? Will you give this recipe a try? Let me know in the comments below if you made it! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Easy Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, onion, and celery to a large soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the garlic, followed by the beef. Cook until the beef has just browned, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). You shouldn't need to drain much fat if you're using lean ground beef, but feel free to drain some/most of it if desired.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add in the diced tomatoes, beef broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning.
- Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit so it’s gently boiling. Cook for 20-25 minutes. You can cook it a little bit longer to intensify the flavor if you wish.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- Anything from about 1 to 1.5 pounds ground beef will work.
- Got an electric pressure cooker? Try the Instant Pot version of this recipe.
- You can also find this recipe in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on January 30, 2019. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
This soup has become a family favorite and we make it often. I’ve added carrots and red pepper flakes per person preference. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
You’re very welcome, Amber. I’m so glad you guys love it.
turned out very well!! had no beef broth so I used veg broth (homemade). I had extra onion, celery, and beef, so I increased whatever other portions I could to keep it balanced. I used homemade stewed tomatoes in place of the diced because that’s what I had on hand. thank you for a hearty soup!! I’m not a fan of tomato-ey soups, and yet this one was really good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! You’re very welcome!
To make this soup vegan/vegetarian, I’m going to use Better than Beef in place of ground beef and vegetable broth. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Sure!
you rated it without even trying it yet? not very fair to the person who uploaded this recipe. because every rating weighs on the average rating for the recipe. just letting you know in case you have not considered this. I’m in the middle of cooking it for the first time right now and so far it smells good. i had to sub veg broth myself. I’ll try to remember to rate and comment again when it’s done cooking.
Hope you enjoy it!
I followed this soup recipe to the absolute letter. I am an experienced cook (married 42 years)…and love to make all kinds of soups. This recipe, in my opinion, has the wrong measurement of canned Tomatoes! This soup is far too acid-y. Too sour. I use only fine ingredients,..no dollar store tomatoes..and always fresh vegetables…I measured exactly as per recipe. Our family loves soup, and loves tomato recipes. It was not a hit. May I politely suggest your test kitchen takes a look at cutting the canned tomato amount In half! Thank you
Hi Susan! This recipe has a lot of 5 star reviews, but sorry it wasn’t quite to your liking. Some people prefer less tomatoes, and some prefer more. You’re probably aware of the old trick of adding a pinch of sugar to tomato sauces/soups/etc if it tastes a bit acidic to take the edge off.
I have made this soup many times throughout my life, one thing that is different, in the north we used pasta elbows, instead of potatoes. But I never liked how the pasta got mushy..so I would keep the pasta and soup separate until I was ready to have a meal then I would warm them up together in a soup pot. I would make enough to cover my lunches for a few days. Best lunch ever.
That’s interesting!! I’ve never tried this particular recipe with pasta. I like the idea, though.. and keeping the pasta and soup separate is a great tip.
Thank you for this simple yet delicious soup! I added extra veggies including cilantro….this will be a staple in my house. Thanks again!
You’re very welcome! Happy to hear that.
This is a tasty soup and a full meal when salad and rolls/bread are added. I will make it again.
Fantastic! Thank you, Barbara.
Do I add cooked or uncooked potatoes to the pot? It seems like I should peel and quarter up some russets and toss them in to cook with everything else. I just want to be sure before I do it as I have never made a soup before.
Thank you
Hi Jay! Uncooked potatoes. If you look in the ingredients list, it’ll tell you how to prep each ingredient. So, in the case of the potatoes, you’d dice them up (cut them as big/small as you wish). You can peel the potatoes if you want… up to you. For all my recipes the ingredients are as-is/raw unless otherwise specified so you never have to guess.
Making this right now and adding mushrooms 🙂
Enjoy!!
I am making this tonight!! My friend did a similar version but I am trying this!! I am adding a few slices of sausage to spice it up a little!!
I like the idea of tomato paste to thicken it.
Making a double batch to share with my neighbors. We are elders that love to cook!!
Thanks for sharing your recipes!!
Louise
Hope you enjoy it, Louise!! 🙂 That’s so nice of you to share with your neighbors.
love this recipe, very versatile. I used beef bone broth, 90% lean grassfed ground beef and mini potatoes and a small red potato I had on hand. full of flavor. thank God you shared this recipe, i’m adding to my rotation of soup recipes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you, Lily!