Ground Beef Soup is an old-fashioned hamburger soup: lean ground beef, tender potatoes and colorful vegetables in a rich, savory tomato broth. It is hearty enough to be dinner on a chilly weeknight, and it reheats so well that a pot covers lunches for days.
How to make ground beef soup: Brown the beef with onion and garlic, add potatoes, beef broth, tomatoes, tomato soup and seasonings and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Stir in the vegetables and simmer 15 to 20 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pot: the beef browns and the soup simmers in the same pot.
- Ready in about 45 minutes: from browning the beef to ladling it into bowls.
- No chopping required: a bag of frozen mixed vegetables does the work.
- Freezer-friendly: freeze it in single servings for quick lunches.
Ingredient Notes
Lean ground beef: One pound browns with the onion and garlic. Drain the fat well before the broth goes in. Ground turkey or any other ground meat works too.
Potatoes: Two medium potatoes, peeled and diced. I cut them all about the same size, so every piece is tender at the same time.
Beef broth: Three and a half cups. Beef broth gives the soup more flavor than water or chicken broth. My pick is low-sodium broth, so I control the salt at the end.
Tomatoes and tomato soup: One 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juices and one 10.75-ounce can of condensed tomato soup make the rich tomato broth. Do not drain the tomatoes; the juice is part of the liquid.
Frozen mixed vegetables: Three cups, straight from the freezer. Fresh chopped vegetables work just as well if you have them.
Seasonings: Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning and one bay leaf. Add salt and pepper at the very end, after you taste.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 1/2 cups beef broth
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes (1 can), with juices
- 10.75 ounces condensed tomato soup (1 can)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, or fresh chopped vegetables
How to Make Ground Beef Soup
1. Brown the beef. In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain any fat.
2. Add the broth and potatoes. Add the potatoes, beef broth, diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the vegetables. Stir in the vegetables. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender when you pierce them with a fork.
4. Season and serve. Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
What Vegetables Go in Ground Beef Soup
Almost any vegetable you have works in this soup, which is why it is such a good clean-out-the-fridge dinner. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables is the easiest choice: no washing, no peeling, no chopping, and the peas, corn, carrots and green beans give you color in every spoonful.
If you would rather use fresh vegetables, these all work well:
- Carrots and celery: sliced, for a classic vegetable soup flavor.
- Green beans and peas: fresh or frozen.
- Zucchini: diced, for a softer, summery bite.
- Cabbage: shredded, for a heartier, old-fashioned pot.
- Bell peppers: red, yellow or green, diced, for sweetness and color.
Whatever you choose, use about 3 cups in total so the soup keeps its balance of broth, beef and vegetables. Keep the order the same: the potatoes simmer covered first, and the other vegetables go in after that first 10 minutes.
My favorite fresh mix is carrots, celery and a handful of cabbage, because it tastes like the vegetable soup people grew up with. When the fridge is bare, the frozen bag never lets me down.
Tips for Success
Why are my potatoes mushy?
They simmered too long after they were done. Start checking with a fork once the vegetables have simmered 15 minutes, and take the pot off the heat when the potatoes are tender but still holding their shape.
Why is my soup too salty?
Broth and canned soup vary a lot in salt from brand to brand. Use low-sodium beef broth, and add salt only at the end, after tasting a spoonful.
Variations
- Pasta instead of potatoes: leave out the potatoes and add macaroni, small shells or rotini with an extra 1 cup of broth or water. Simmer until the pasta is tender.
- Ground turkey: use ground turkey or any other ground meat in place of the beef.
- Cheesy bowls: sprinkle a little shredded cheese over each bowl before serving.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. This soup freezes well in single-serving freezer bags: move one to the refrigerator the night before, then reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. Bring soup to a rolling boil when you reheat it.
What to Serve With It
Serve bowls of soup with a fresh green salad and a loaf of crusty French bread with garlic butter, or warm dinner rolls for dunking. For more hearty soups, try beef and barley soup, million dollar soup, slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup or slow cooker 15 bean soup. When you want something thicker, there is Instant Pot beef stew, and for another quick ground beef dinner, ground beef stroganoff.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a good soup to make with ground beef?
Hamburger soup like this one is the classic, with potatoes and vegetables in a tomato broth. Taco soup, cheeseburger soup, stuffed pepper soup, lasagna soup, meatball soup and beef cabbage soup are all good ground beef soups too.
What is in poor man’s soup?
Poor man’s soup is another name for this kind of hamburger soup: ground beef, potatoes, tomatoes and whatever vegetables are on hand. You may also hear it called vegetable soup, hangover soup or bachelor’s stew.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It reheats very well, so make a pot on the weekend and portion it out for lunches or a quick dinner later in the week.
Final Notes
Use a pot with a snug lid, so the covered simmer keeps its liquid. If you have a question or make this soup, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Ground Beef Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
- 3 1/2 cups beef broth
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes 1 can, with juices
- 10.75 ounces condensed tomato soup 1 can
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf removed before serving
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables or fresh chopped vegetables
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain any fat.
- Add the potatoes, beef broth, diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the vegetables. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
