Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup Recipe
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Hamburger Vegetable Soup is a hearty and comforting soup that is very easy to make! It’s a budget friendly tasty meal that’s perfect for those chilly nights or when you’re just in need of some satisfying, stick to your ribs kind of food.
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!
Hamburger vegetable soup, or hamburger soup as some like to call it, is the soup I turn to when I don’t know what to make for dinner or don’t have the energy to think about it!
It’s a quick and easy soup made in one pot, and because it’s complete with ground beef, potatoes, and loaded with vegetables, it’s a soup that eats like a meal! All it needs is a side salad or a slice of crusty bread and dinner is served!
This delicious recipe is a huge family favorite. When I have hamburger soup simmering on the stove, the smell of it cooking is enough to have everyone running to the table on a chilly day. Because this soup is as flexible as it is, you can always customize it to how your family likes it.
The rich tomato and broth-based soup have plenty of seasonings that can be swapped, and you can even clean out your fridge and use up whatever vegetables you have. Because it has protein, veggies and starch this is a complete meal! Try my Vegetable Soup (with barley) for a hearty vegetarian version or my Pasta Fagioli or Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup for ones that have pasta in it too!
Enjoy this kid-approved soup the next you take some ground beef out of the freezer and are craving a warm and cozy bowl of hamburger soup!
Why you’ll love this
- It’s a healthy and wholesome way to feed everyone without much forethought or effort!
- Adaptable. This is a great recipe to use what you’ve got on hand, and what you don’t, you’ll easily find at your local grocery store. Hamburger soup is loaded with vegetables!
- Super easy soup to make. The entire batch of soup is made with just 10 minutes of prep time and it’s ready to serve in 1 hour.
- It makes great leftovers and freezes well too.
Check out my poor man’s stew (it’s a ground beef stew made in the crockpot) for another way to use ground beef. For more ground beef recipes, check out Ground Beef Stroganoff and Hamburger Casserole.
What to serve with soup
All the bread! Serve it with something like skillet cornbread, garlic cheese bread, cheesy garlic bread, or even fresh homemade naan would be great.
If you’re going to go the route of hamburger soup and salad, since a lot is going on in this soup, stick with a simple garden salad.
Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead
Key Recipe Ingredients
Note: This highlights some ingredients. Full list is in the recipe card.
- Olive oil. Needed to brown the beef and sauté the veggies. You can also use avocado oil if preferred.
- Lean ground beef. Use 80/10 ground beef. 90/10 is considered extra lean and won’t add enough flavor. If you use medium or anything with higher fat content, be sure to drain the excess fat after browning.
- Mirepoix. A combination of celery, onions, and carrots is the flavor foundation of all kinds of soups and stews. It’s what we use to start building the layers of flavor.
- Minced garlic. Adds an aromatic flavor.
- Veggies. Frozen corn, frozen green beans (you can easily use frozen mixed vegetables) and diced potatoes. Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or even baby potatoes cut in half would work. Sweet potatoes are great in this too.
- Canned diced tomatoes, undrained. You want the juices for added flavor.
- Tomato sauce. Use whatever you’ve got on hand.
- Beef stock. If you have any homemade beef stock kicking around, now’s a great time to use it up!
- Italian seasoning. Make your own Italian Seasoning if you’ve run out of the blend.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
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How to make this recipe
This is a step-by-step photo guide. Full ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
JumpBrown the Beef. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon as it cooks. Remove the browned beef from the pot and set it aside. Drain excess grease.
Sauté Vegetables
In the same pot, add a bit more oil if needed. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 more minute.
Combine Ingredients. Return the browned beef to the pot, along with the potatoes, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Add Frozen Vegetables. Stir in the mixed frozen vegetables and continue to simmer until they are heated through, for about 10 more minutes.
Adjust Seasoning & Serve. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve this easy hamburger soup warm. Garnish with fresh parsley if you’re feeling fancy.
Kylee’s Notes
What to do with leftovers
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Substitutions/Additions
Add other seasonings or herbs according to your preference.
For a thicker soup, try adding a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans or cannellini beans.
For a lighter soup, use ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
You may use fresh vegetables instead of frozen if you prefer.
Add in a tablespoon of tomato paste, or a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce for added flavor.
Freezing instructions
This soup freezes well. To freeze, allow the soup to cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove.
FAQs
Certainly! You’ll want to make sure to brown your meat first and sauté the onions along with it. Then, dump everything into the basin of the crock pot and cook it on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Sure thing. What’s great about this is that you can brown the meat and cook the onions using the sauté function right in the pressure cooker.
Cook it for 5 minutes (not including the time it takes to come to pressure) and do a 10-minute natural release before moving the valve to the vent position to allow the remaining pressure to be released.
You can swap the potatoes for noodles or pasta if you’d like. Or you can give it a little kick with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. You can stir in some rice at the end, or switch up the veggies by using mushrooms, zucchini, or red bell peppers.
The options are limitless!
Cheeseburger soup is made in a creamy cheesy broth which is thickened with a roux. It still contains the veggies and ground hamburger meat, but instead of a thin tomato-y broth, it’s thick and creamy.
More recipes to love
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup – perfect for feeding the family, and your soul! Enjoy this delicious, rich, and flavorful version of a classic.
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup – hearty and warming with just the right amount of spice, blended with cheese, topped off with jalapenos, cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips.
- Turkey Rice Soup. A delicious way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey, this turkey wild rice soup is comfort food central, and done in under 45 minutes!
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Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- Large pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef lean
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup potatoes diced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes undrained (14.5oz)
- 1 can tomato sauce 15oz
- 4 cups beef stock 32 oz or 1 carton
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen green beans
Instructions
Brown the Beef
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
- Add 1 lb ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon as it cooks.
- Remove the browned beef from the pot and set it aside. Drain excess grease.
Sauté Vegetables
- In the same pot, add a bit more oil if needed. Add 1 medium onion (diced), 2 medium carrots (peeled and sliced), and 2 stalks celery (sliced). Sauté until the onions are translucent and the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add 2 cloves garlic (minced), cook 1 more minute.
Combine Ingredients
- Return the browned beef to the pot, along with 1 cup potatoes (diced), 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, 4 cups beef stock, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Simmer
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Add Frozen Vegetables
- Stir in 1 cup frozen corn and 1 cup frozen green beans and continue to simmer until they are heated through, about 10 more minutes.
Adjust Seasoning & Serve
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- You can add other seasonings or herbs according to your preference.
- For a thicker soup, consider adding a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans or cannellini beans.
- You may use fresh vegetables instead of frozen if you prefer.
- Consider serving this soup with crusty bread or a side salad for a complete meal.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
This soup also freezes well. - To freeze, allow the soup to cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
This recipe is delicious. I tripled it. I made it just as directed and am very pleased with it. Thank you.
My husband said that this was the best soup he has ever eaten and I agree. My mother was Italian and made good soup, but this tops anything ever tasted.
Wow that’s quite a compliment! Thanks! My family loves this too. They call me the Soup Queen.