Hamburger Soup Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Jump to Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

This Hamburger Soup recipe is hearty and comforting for chilly days! It’s loaded with vegetables, ground beef, potatoes and can be cooked on the stove top or the crock pot! Includes how to recipe video

Love hearty, healthy soup recipes? Try my Cabbage Roll Soup, my Chicken Gnocchi Soup or this Easy Taco Soup recipe next!

overhead image of bowl of hamburger soup with spoon stuck in

Soup season is back in full swing here on The Recipe Rebel and I couldn’t be more excited!

So far we’ve added this rich and creamy Potato Soup, this flavorful Italian Sausage Soup, and this Chicken Tortellini Soup to the mix — all instant favorites with many of you!

This easy Hamburger Soup recipe is well-loved but getting some updated photos — it’s hearty and chunky, but still has enough juices to justify slicing up that crusty bread. I promise you won’t regret it!

It’s old school comfort food at its finest.

This Hamburger Soup is naturally gluten and dairy free, but be sure to wash your vegetables and check all of your labels before serving someone with food allergies.

If you’re not concerned about allergies or food sensitivities, feel free to stir in a little cream at the end or add a sprinkling of cheese. I know that’s the way we like it here!

What do you put in Hamburger Soup?

Aside from the obvious — the hamburger or ground beef — basically, anything you want 😉

In my Hamburger Soup recipe, I start with the basics: onion, celery and carrots.

Then I add in some diced tomatoes, potatoes, and seasonings and finish with some frozen veggies for good measure, because I much prefer frozen peas over canned and you don’t really get them fresh these days.

See a detailed list of ingredients and possible substitutions below.

overhead image of hamburger soup with wooden spoon stuck in
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox. You’ll also get new recipes and a free monthly menu plan!

Hamburger Soup ingredients:

  • Lean ground beef: I always use lean ground beef in soups because we don’t want all that extra fat floating around. You can swap this out for ground pork, chicken, turkey or Italian sausage if you prefer.
  • Onion: onion adds a ton of flavor! If you don’t have any onions, you can swap this for onion powder or dried onion, but fresh is best.
  • Tomato paste: tomato paste gives richness and flavor to our broth. You can swap it for a tablespoon of ketchup or a bit of tomato sauce as well
  • Seasonings: feel free to get creative with the seasonings! I stick to the basics here, but there’s no reason you can’t experiment a little.
  • Potatoes: I love potatoes in hamburger soup, and I love that they don’t get too mushy when this soup sits in the fridge all week (unlike pasta and rice). If you prefer, you can swap these out for dry pasta or dry rice, but you will want to increase the liquid as well.
  • Carrots and Celery: carrots and celery add nutritional value and delicious flavor to this soup! You can add in other or additional vegetables, such as mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, corn, and more.
  • Diced tomatoes: diced tomatoes add some sweetness to balance out the savory, beefy flavor. If you don’t like the chunks, you can opt for tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes instead.
  • Broth: I always use low sodium broth so that I can adjust the salt to our tastes. If you only have regular broth, you will want to reduce the added salt. You can also use beef broth, though I prefer the mild flavor of chicken or vegetable in this soup.
  • Frozen peas: Frozen peas add a nice pop of color and fresh flavor to this soup
overhead image of a bowl of hamburger soup

How do you make Hamburger Soup in the crock pot?

This soup, like most soups, are easily made in the crock pot as well.

Unfortunately, you will need an extra pan to brown the ground beef with the onion, but after that you can dump the beef, onion, and all the other vegetables and seasonings right into the slow cooker to cook.

You can even do this the night before and have no prep in the morning! The only vegetable that cannot be prepped ahead are the potatoes.

Let it cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours to ensure all the vegetables are tender.

Can I make it ahead?

This soup, like many others, are perfect for making ahead as the flavors only intensify after sitting. It’s even better the next day!

This soup can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 4 days.

metal ladle scooping hamburger soup out of pot

Can you freeze Hamburger Soup?

You can freeze this soup, but keep in mind that the texture of the potatoes will change, therefore you may not want to.

If you’re cook with frozen and thawed potatoes, simply cool to room temperature and then pour into a freezer safe container (be sure to leave room for expansion).

Or, you can pour into a large freezer bag (or do smaller bags for individual servings), seal, then freeze flat. I prefer to do it this way as it freezes and thaws more quickly and is easily stacked in the freezer.

Looking for more easy soup recipes? Try these:

And I’m going to stop there, because I’m embarrassed about exactly how many soup recipes I’ve added to The Recipe Rebel this year — it’s been a bit of an obsession!

ashley avatar

Pin this recipe to save for later

Pin this recipe to your favorite board

Easy Hamburger Soup recipe

5 from 5 votes
This Hamburger Soup recipe is hearty and comforting for chilly days! It’s loaded with vegetables, ground beef, potatoes and can be cooked on the stove top or the crock pot! 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Soup
Servings 6 servings
Calories 224cal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pinch red chili flakes
  • 1 lb red potatoes finely chopped (about 3 medium)
  • 3 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 ribs celery finely sliced
  • 540 ml diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings about 2 cups
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  • In a large soup pot, saute ground beef and onion until beef is cooked through. Drain any resulting fat.
  • Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes and cook and stir 1-2 minutes.
  • Add potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes with juice, and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium and cover.
  • Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are tender. Stir in peas. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 407grams | Calories: 224cal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 561mg | Potassium: 1104mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5315IU | Vitamin C: 19.3mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg
Keywords crockpot, ground beef, pork loin in slow cooker

Want to save this recipe?

Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.

Register Now

Tried this recipe?

Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel —
I love to see what you’re making!

Tag @thereciperebel

Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

Read More

You May Also Like

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brenda G says

    This came out perfect! So easy to make yet bursting with flavour. It’s a good immune booster recipe. I really loved it.

  2. Gil Brewer says

    Just made it for my kids coming home from school they love it and so do i Will be making this alot this fall and winter thx so much helping me cook for my family i just retired and my wife runs a nursing home so the cooking is my job now and im not the cook my wife is so this will make me look like a pro lol thx

  3. Ian says

    I was so surprised about how addictive this recipe was! Do you have any hints about any other ingredients that could be added to it? Thank you Ashley.

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I’m glad you liked it! I don’t have a list in the post but this recipe is super flexible. I would see what needs to be used from the fridge! Mushrooms, spinach, or peppers would be great additions. You could also add Worcestershire or hot sauce for a punch of flavor.

  4. Karen Miller says

    Have made this recipe 3x this year. Always a hit. I make mine in the crockpot on high for about 5 hours and it is perfect. Leftovers taste just as good the next day.

  5. Mandy says

    I’ve never had much luck freezing anything with potatoes as an ingredient. They take on a grainy texture we find unappetizing. If I plan to freeze a recipe, I either omit potatoes entirely or cook them separately and add them to tbe recipe after thawing. Try it both ways and see what you prefer.

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Uncooked potatoes definitely don’t do well when frozen, but I’ve found when they are cooked and surrounded in liquid like soup then they are fine! It will definitely depend on your preferences 🙂

  6. Lynnie Lutz says

    This looks delicious Ashley! Going to make it this week. Happy New Year and Cheers to you and your family!
    Love from Kansas City!

  7. CATHERINE LEE says

    I so want to try this out! Can it be done in an electric pressure cooker? What changes would I have to make to do so? Thank you and bless you and yours in this new year!

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Yes definitely! I would brown the ground beef first with the onion, then add the rest of the spices and vegetables and pressure cook for maybe 3 minutes, depending how big you chop everything up. It would work great!

Leave A Reply

Have you tried this recipe? Leave a rating