Hamburger Orzo Soup

5 from 4 votes

This cozy hamburger orzo soup recipe is a hearty everyday meal that's fast! It has inexpensive ground beef, Italian herbs, and a rich and creamy tomato broth.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ground beef orzo soup, hamburger orzo soup

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped finely
2 sticks celery chopped finely
2 tablespoons flour
4 cloves garlic minced
4 cups beef broth
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup uncooked orzo
1 cup heavy/whipping cream
2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach optional
Salt & pepper to taste, see note

Instructions

Add the ground beef to a Dutch oven/soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, until browned (about 7-8 min).
Take the beef out of the pot and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about a tablespoon of the fat in the pot (drain any excess).
Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
Add the flour and garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
Slowly add the beef broth and stir until the flour has completely dissolved.
Add the crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the pot, and also add the ground beef back in. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a slight boil.
Once it's gently boiling, add the cream and orzo. Reduce the heat as needed and simmer for about 12 minutes or until the orzo is tender, stirring fairly often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. If the soup thickens up too much, add in another splash of beef broth or water.
Stir in the spinach and season generously with salt & pepper.

Notes

Do not under season this soup or it will be bland. Jazz it up a bit with seasoning salt or Tony's seasoning instead of your regular salt.
The orzo will soak up the broth! If you're planning on having the majority of this soup as leftovers, I recommend cooking the orzo separately and adding it when reheating.
I don't recommend swapping the cream for anything lower fat - it's likely to curdle due to the acidity of the tomatoes and the high heat this soup is cooked at. You can omit it if needed.

Nutrition