Easy Hamburger Soup Recipe

Written by on in Recipes, Budget Friendly, Weeknight Favorites

I had a super sorry gathering of odds and ends veggies in the crisper that honestly were either “eat today or throw away” prospects. They were so embarrassing I didn’t even take a “whole” photo of them because i had to cut away the not so nice bits to get enough usable veg for my soup.

I, of course, forgot to take anything out for dinner tonight. It’s a common problem around here. I freeze my ground beef in 1/2lb vacuum sealed packages that are flat – so they thaw SUPER fast – eitehr on the granite counter or in a bowl of warm water. I left them int the warm water while I chopped veggies and the burger was workable by the time I was ready for it.

You’ll see in my process – I royally screwed up. I was supposed to add the burger to the onion, celery and peppers – brown it all together and then add the carrots and potatoes. Well – I forgot that part and just threw the carrots and potatoes in. Oops. I just scooted the veg off to the side and browned my beef off – no harm no foul. Everyone messes up – being able to fix your mistakes is the important part.

Because this is fast and dirty soup – I use bullion and water – i didnt have any beef stock handy, and when you’re using all this veg and stuff- its less important to have a super flavorful savory broth – it’ll all come out great in the end.

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Easy Hamburger Soup – Stove Top Method

Easy clean out the fridge soup – and pretty economical, too

Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword budget friendly, cheap soup recipe, fast soup recipe, hamburger soup, sausage and potato soup
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author Carrie Hill

Ingredients

  • 2 ea Carrots diced
  • 3 ea Celery Ribs diced
  • 1 ea onion small, diced
  • 4 ea tomatoes small, peeled
  • 1/4 C green pepper diced
  • 1 1/2 C potato diced
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 lb hamburger lean if you can, but not imperative
  • 2 Tbsp Beef Boullion or 2 cubes
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Hot Salsa Optional
  • 1 Cup Elbow Macaroni Optional

Instructions

  1. While i have specific veggies in this list – you can use whatever you have/want in this recipe – it's really flexible

  2. Bring a few cups of water to boil in your dutch oven. Core your tomatoes and cut an x in the bottom. Drop into the boiling water for a few minutes, then dunk in ice water. When they've cooled int he ice water – peel them. Tomato peel doesn't cook nicely and gets slimy – this keeps your soup "cleaner"

  3. Once your tomatoes come out of the water – dump it out and dry your dutch oven

  4. Add 1 Tbsp Olive Oil and when it's hot add in the onion, celery and Green Pepper

  5. Saute the veggies until soft – add in Garlic and heat through for a few minutes

  6. When the garlic is fragrant, add in your ground beef and break it up with your mix n chop (my favorite pampered chef tool) or a wooden spoon. I screwed up and added the potato and carrot before the beef so just pushed it off to the side and browned the beef in the other half of the pan.

  7. Once your beef is browned – drain if necessary – I use pretty lean beef. Add in the carrots, potato, and beef bouillon. Stir and heat through – then add in approximately 8 cups of water (give or take – depends upon how many veggies you had)

  8. i bring this up to a boil and add in my tomatoes and salsa. The salsa is a bit of heat and kicks up the flavor. If you don't want to add tomatoes – don't – but a little acid will enhance the flavor profile of your soup. A couple of splashes of red wine vinegar or lemon juice can accomplish the same thing. Soups benefit from the 4 elements of good food (according to Samin Nosrat – Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat)

  9. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft.

  10. Serve with crackers, biscuits, or our favorite way – a crusty grilled cheese sammich!