Rich and flavorful hamburger soup makes a comforting start to a winter meal and is hearty enough to serve as a filling main course.
It's one of those recipes where leftovers get better as they rest in the fridge, allowing the flavors to meld.
This soup is so wonderfully filling and satiating! In the past, I used to think about soup as unsatisfying. A flimsy first course. If I had soup as my main course, I just "had" to have bread with it, or I wasn't satisfied.
Now I know that when a bowl of soup is rich, hearty and flavorful, there's really no need for bread. A truly rich soup, much like chili, is a complete meal!
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need to make this tasty hamburger soup. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Olive oil: This is my favorite oil to cook with. Butter is another tasty option.
Vegetables: I use onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, or a heavily salted tomato product, you might want to reduce the amount you use.
Lean ground beef: I use an 85/15 mixture. A leaner mixture (90/10) should work, but then you'll need to add more oil or butter to the pan.
Dried spices: Oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and a bay leaf. The rosemary is especially good here. It flavors the soup very nicely.
Beef broth: Store-bought is fine. I prefer to use salted broth, as I find it more flavorful than a low-sodium broth.
Pomi chopped tomatoes: These tomatoes are sweeter and less acidic than American canned tomatoes, and they're also diced very finely, which is important for the texture of the soup.
Grated Parmesan: Make sure you use finely grated cheese, not coarsely shredded. This is an important ingredient - it helps thicken the soup.
Instructions
Making this hamburger soup is delightfully easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Cook the onions, carrots, celery, and ground beef in olive oil. Cook until the beef is no longer raw and the vegetables are tender-crisp. Break the meat up as you cook into small chunks.
Add the garlic and spices and cook for one more minute.
Stir in the beef broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 20 minutes. This is the stage that allows all the wonderful flavors to meld together and it also slightly thickens the soup.
The last step is to mix in the parmesan, which works really well at thickening the soup and also flavoring it. It’s messy, though – it will coat your saucepan with a thin sticky film. It’s not difficult to scrub with warm soapy water, but I just want you to be aware of this issue.
Expert tips
Choosing the best tomatoes
I use Pomi chopped tomatoes in this recipe. They are imported from Italy, and they are noticeably sweeter, thicker, and less acidic than American canned diced tomatoes.
You can find them in supermarkets, at Whole Foods, and on Amazon. I highly recommend them in this recipe for the best results.
Another good Italian brand that might be easier to find in regular supermarkets is Cento. I believe that Cento Crushed Tomatoes should work in this recipe, although I haven't tried that.
Alternatively, you could try using one (14 oz) can of American diced tomatoes, undrained, plus one can of tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes.
Adjusting the salt
This recipe relies on two packaged products that can greatly vary - tomatoes and broth. So you should definitely taste the soup before serving and see if you need to adjust anything.
I use low-sodium tomatoes (Italian brands are low in sodium) but regular (not reduced-sodium) beef broth. If you use a different combination, you might need to use less or more salt in this recipe. So taste and decide - it's the only way to get it right.
Frequently asked questions
Certainly not because it tastes like a hamburger or contains hamburger ingredients, but simply because many Americans refer to ground beef as "hamburger" or "hamburger meat."
I suppose a more accurate description would be "ground beef vegetable soup." This soup has distinct European flavors and seasonings, starting with mirepoix as the vegetable base and ending with grated parmesan to flavor and thicken the soup.
Yes. Although beef broth is best, you can use chicken broth. Again, I would recommend using a salted broth if you can rather than a low-sodium one.
Yes, absolutely. My recipe doesn't contain any potatoes (or pasta, for that matter).
Although potatoes would help with thickening the soup, I find that the soup comes out rich and thick, especially when you add grated parmesan.
Variations and substitutions
I love this soup just the way it is and almost always make it the same way. Nonetheless, here are a few ideas for varying the basic recipe:
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- I'm curious about dried thyme - perhaps ¼ teaspoon in addition to the other spices. Haven't tried it yet, but I plan to!
- A teaspoon of paprika adds warmth and another layer of flavor to the soup.
Serving suggestions
If you serve this soup as a main course, you can serve it with any of the following:
- Cheese muffins
- Cheese biscuits
- Thick slices of almond flour bread
- Cheese crackers
Storing leftovers
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days, in an airtight container. Reheat them gently, covered, in a 50% power microwave, or on low heat on the stovetop.
You can also freeze this soup. I like to freeze it in mugs, then reheat them in the microwave when I feel like something warm and comforting.
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Recipe card
Easy Hamburger Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion finely diced (8 oz)
- 2 cups diced carrots (2 large carrots, 8 oz)
- 2 cups diced celery (8 oz)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups beef broth (not low-sodium)
- 1 (26 oz) container Pomi finely chopped tomatoes (see comment under "Notes" below)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ cup grated Parmesan (not shredded)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the onions, carrots, celery and ground beef. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat into small chunks, until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the meat is no longer raw (it can still be pink, that's OK), about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, one more minute.
- Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf. Turn the heat off and stir in the parmesan. Divide the soup into bowls and serve.
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NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 