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Hamburger Soup

This Hamburger Soup recipe is easy to make with ground beef and your favorite vegetables. A creamy ingredient addition rounds out the savory combination of beef and chicken broth. Bonus: This makes a great freezer meal and it’s Crock Pot friendly!

A red Dutch oven filled with Hamburger Soup with a wooden spoon.

Hamburger Soup

I have definitely made this soup more than any other soup recipe on the blog. I jokingly call this “Poor man’s soup” because my dad always talked about his mom making this with some scraps, a little beef, and some water.

These days, I like to use a combination of chicken broth and beef broth along with a can of creamy soup, some milk, potatoes, and frozen vegetables. It couldn’t be easier to make and it freezes really well.

BONUS: It’s stove top and crock pot friendly!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery halfway through and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Drain excess grease and return to heat. Add the garlic, seasonings, and Worcestershire sauce. Toss to combine and cook for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, beef broth, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and milk.

A soup pot filled with ground beef with potatoes and beef broth being added.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and cook for 30 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables and cook for 10-15 more minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Taste and add any additional seasonings if preferred. Serve!A soup pot with frozen vegetables being added to hamburger soup.

Pro Tips

  • Feel free to make this with my homemade cream of chicken soup. The soup can also be omitted if preferred but it adds a nice creamy offset to round out the flavors in the broth.
  • Cream of Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, Cream of Broccoli, and Cream of Celery make fine substitution options for cream of chicken.
  • Be sure not to overcook the potatoes, especially if you plan on freezing leftovers.
  • Fresh carrots can be added with the onions and celery if preferred.
  • To control the sodium in this recipe, use low-sodium broth and/or condensed soup. You can also refrain from seasoning the ground beef with salt.

What to Add to Hamburger Soup

  • 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste if you prefer a little tomato flavor
  • Drained Diced Tomatoes, Zucchini, Cabbage.
  • Macaroni Noodles or Rice.
  • Ground Turkey or chicken instead of ground beef

**If adding pasta or rice: I recommend cooking it separately, adding it directly to serving bowls, and storing it separately from the soup as it tends to absorb a lot of broth during storage.

A red soup pot filled with Hamburger Soup with ground beef, vegetables, and a wooden spoon.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • 4.5 quart Dutch oven This is a great size for this recipe.
  • Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
  • Measuring Spoons To measure out the seasonings.
  • Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time to add them.
  • 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.

A white bowl of Hamburger Soup with vegetables and ground beef.

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A pot of hamburger soup with ground beef and vegetables.

Hamburger Soup

5 from 23 ratings
This Hamburger Soup recipe is easy to make with ground beef and your favorite vegetables. It's perfect for meal planning on a budget and makes a great freezer meal idea.

Ingredients

Seasonings:

  • 1 teaspoon EACH: dried basil + dried parsley
  • ¾ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme + mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground sage

Soup:

  • 1 ½ lbs. ground beef
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 large red potatoes, or 4 small
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 cups frozen vegetables, I used a mix of carrots, peas, corn, and green beans

Instructions

Stove Top Method

  • Combine the seasonings and set aside.
  • Lightly season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Add it to a 4.5 quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble for 5 minutes, or until most of the pink is gone. Add the onions and celery and toss to coat. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Drain excess grease.
  • Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Toss to coat and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the potatoes, beef broth, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and milk. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Add the frozen vegetables and cook for 10 more minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Taste and add any seasonings as needed. Serve!

Crock Pot Method

  • Add the ground beef to a skillet over medium-high heat and season with salt and pepper. Cook and crumble for 5 minutes, or until most of the pink is gone.
  • Add the onions and celery and toss to coat. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
  • Drain excess grease and transfer it to the slow cooker along with all remaining ingredients *except* the frozen vegetables.
  • Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  • Add frozen vegetables and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Notes

Pro Tips
  • Feel free to make this with my homemade cream of chicken soup. The soup can also be omitted if preferred but it adds a nice creamy offset to round out the flavors in the broth. 
  • Cream of Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, Cream of Broccoli, and Cream of Celery make fine substitution options for cream of chicken.
  • Be sure not to overcook the potatoes, especially if you plan on freezing leftovers.
  • Fresh carrots can be added with the onions and celery if preferred.
  • To control the sodium in this recipe, use low-sodium broth and/or condensed soup. You can also refrain from seasoning the ground beef with salt.

Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 245kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 1021mg, Potassium: 826mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 2425IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 4mg
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70 comments on “Hamburger Soup”

  1. I loved the flavor. This will always be a main staple ready in freezer. I followed instructions to a T but added a small chopped green pepper and used frozen parsley. I find way tastier than tomatoe based.

  2. Just read this today and made today! I read about the variations of others, and followed the original recipe as best I could. Didn’t have frozen green beans, so omitted those and the potatoes. Added in quartered mushrooms, a can of crm of mushroom soup (had already put in the crm of chick), upped the ground beef to 2 lbs, and used fresh carrots instead of frozen.
    I think this is the golden type of recipe where no matter what you do to it, you can’t really mess it up, and will just end up with good soup every time. 🙂

  3. Excited to give this a try! I am looking for a way to use leftover meatloaf – (cubed), Recipe says it Serves 8 but what is the serving size? 1 cup per serving? Thanks!

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