Hamburger Soup is a budget-friendly, family-tested dinner made with ground beef, potatoes, and simple vegetables in a rich tomato broth. It cooks in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you need something filling and affordable.
This is one of our go-to comfort meals because it stretches a pound of ground beef into a hearty soup the whole family will love. Serve it on a cold day or anytime you need an easy one-pot dinner.
Why You’ll Love Hamburger Soup!
We make this Hamburger Vegetable Soup all the time because it’s easy, filling, and so flexible. It’s perfect for using up vegetables in the fridge and adjusting the seasonings to what we have on hand.
It’s ready in about 30 minutes, which makes it a go-to on busy nights. The whole family loves it, and it’s even better with warm bread to soak up every last drop. If you’ve tried our Crockpot Potato and Hamburger Soup, you’re going to love this simple one-pot version too.
For even more delicious soup recipes, try one of these 54 Easy Crock Pot Soup Recipes and Panera Bread Tomato Soup Recipe.
What Is Hamburger Soup?
Hamburger Soup is a tomato-based soup made with ground beef, potatoes, vegetables, and simple seasonings. Unlike stew, it has a thinner broth and uses ground beef instead of chunks of meat. It’s an easy, affordable one-pot meal that’s perfect for feeding a family.
Recipe Snapshot
- Recipe: Hamburger Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25–30 minutes
- Serves: 6–8
- Main Ingredient: Ground Beef
- Cooking Method: Stovetop (One Pot)
- Budget Friendly: Yes — stretches 1 lb of beef
- Freezer Friendly: Yes
- Family Approved: Kid-friendly comfort food
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – We like using lean ground beef. Ground beef is one of the most affordable proteins for feeding a family. We often stock up when it’s on sale and freeze it so we can quickly make meals like this without overspending.
- Onion – Finely dice onions. If you are out, see Best Onion Substitute
- Minced Garlic – Learn How to Mince Garlic Cloves
- Potatoes – We peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces. We used Russet potatoes but you can also use Yukon Gold Potatoes or Red Potatoes.
- Worcestershire Sauce – If you are out, see The Best Worcestershire Sauce Substitutes
- Italian Seasoning – Learn how to make Homemade Italian Seasoning Recipe
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables – You can also use canned mixed vegetables
How to Make Hamburger Soup
Step 1 – Brown the ground beef with the onions in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove top in a teaspoon of olive oil if you prefer. Break up the beef as it browns and cook until no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease.
Step 2 – Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
Step 3 – Stir in the potatoes, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, Bay leaf, kosher salt, pepper and frozen mixed vegetables. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
Step 4 – Bring the mixture to a low boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Cooking Ground Beef – When cooking ground beef, make sure to drain the grease after cook. This will help to prevent your soup having a greasy layer.
- Chopping Vegetables – To ensure that your potatoes and onions are about the same size, we recommend using a vegetable chopper.
- Cooking Soup – Allow the soup to simmer on low heat until potatoes are tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Change Meat – Ground turkey or Ground Chicken can be used instead of ground beef to make it a leaner soup recipe.
- Potatoes – You can use 2-3 cups of frozen diced Hash Brown potatoes instead of dicing fresh potatoes if preferred. You can also substitute the potatoes with a small pasta such as macaroni.
- Rice – Another easy addition to this soup is add in cooked white rice or brown rice. We like using cooked rice so that it doesn’t soak up the broth while cooking.
- Tex Mex Soup – For a delicious variation, you can substitute the Italian Seasoning with oregano with Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe. Add in slice jalapeños and top with Guacamole Recipe and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Change Vegetables – We like using the frozen mixed vegetables package. But you can also use fresh veggies. The addition of chopped carrots, corn, green beans and diced celery stalks is always a favorite.
- Tomato Paste – For a slightly thicker broth, add in a tablespoons tomato paste.
What to Serve with Hamburger Soup?
This Hamburger Soup is a complete meal idea. It is loaded with protein and veggies which makes it so filling. We often times will add these easy side dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main difference between the two is the amount of liquid that the ingredients are cooked in. Stew has a thicker broth with bigger chunks of beef. Hamburger soup has a thinner broth with ground beef.
We like to peel the Russet Potatoes before adding to the soup. But if you prefer the skin on, then that works just as well in this soup recipe.
Yes, you will need to brown the ground beef prior to mixing with the other soup ingredients. We recommend using a Dutch Oven so you can cook the ground beef and then add in the soup ingredients into the same pot. This makes this one pot recipe even easier.
Yes! Brown the ground beef first, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6–7 hours or high for 3–4 hours until the potatoes are tender.
Storage and Freezer Tips
- Storing – Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezing – This soup freezes great! Pour the leftover hamburger soup in a freezer safe container or ziplock freezer bag and store in the freezer. The leftovers will last about 3 months if stored properly. Thaw the leftovers in the fridge when ready to serve again. For even more freezer tips, see How to Freeze Soup.
- Reheating – Reheat the leftovers in a saucepan on the stovetop until heated through. You can also reheat in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals until heated. This hamburger soup recipe taste even better the next day with amazing flavor.
Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
- ½ Onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 3 medium Potatoes peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces
- 3 cups Beef Broth
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes 28 ounces
- 1 can Tomato Sauce 15 ounces
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook 1 pound lean ground beef with ½ onion, finely diced. Break up the beef as it cooks and continue cooking until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.
- Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic to the pot and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Stir in 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces, 3 cups beef broth, 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Mix well to combine. Add 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables and stir to combine with the soup mixture.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove from heat. Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
More Easy Ground Beef Soup Recipes
We truly love hearing how these recipes turn out in your kitchen. If you make this Hamburger Soup, please come back and leave a comment or a star review. Your feedback helps other families know what to expect and helps us continue sharing affordable, family-tested meals you can count on.
I made this tonight and it was very tasty. My husband had three bowls and kept saying “This is really good.”
Woohoo! I love hearing this Judith. Thank you so much for sharing and for the positive review of this recipe!
can this be made in a crockpot, and if so, can you share how you would make it?
This recipe is easy and very delicious to make.
I’m so glad you liked it. We love it!
Absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe, but added about 2 cups of chopped cabbage. This will be a go to recipe!
Liz – So glad you loved it. The cabbage sounds great!
Going to make this again , My kids loved it
I was blown away by how easy and tasty this was.
So easy and yummy! Our kids love this soup!
So tasty!!
Love this soup!
Simple recipe and so tasty!
Yum! Amazing!
Very simple, very tasty!
Thank you so much Peg! Thank you for the positive review. I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup recipe.
Good ole’ one pot delicious meals that me and my family enjoy! Together, in order that we spend great time with Great Food! Thanks for sharing this!!!!!?
Thank you for sharing Charlotte and I hope you enjoy this recipe!
My husband said it was OK it just needed more tomatos. Easy to prepare, good on a cold, rainy day.
Delicious, no frozen vegs or canned except corn, put bokcho in my no potatoes, used instant mashed about 1 cup for thickness , used 1/4 c fresh salsa 1 can diced tomatoes and all you did tastes very very good, tyvvm and we will have sour dough bread homemade
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing and thank you for the positive review!
This soup was so filling! My entire family loved it.