This hearty and comforting hamburger soup is a savory medley of ground beef, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, yellow onion, celery, green beans, and seasonings.

This post contains affiliate links. Read the disclosure policy.

Savory homemade hamburger soup served in soup bowls.

About Hamburger Soup

No matter the time of year, nothing beats the comfort of a big bowl of warm soup, and this savory hamburger soup is the ideal go-to remedy for a bad day.

Between the savory beef flavor to the tender veggies to how easy it is to customize, this soup is one of the few dishes that I look forward to making. Nothing against cooking, of course, but sometimes you don’t want to have to fight for your dinner. Sometimes you’ve had a rough day and just want an easy win.

And an easy win is definitely what this beef soup is.

Hamburger soup cooked in a Dutch oven.

What else can you add to hamburger soup?

This recipe already has a good deal of veggies, from potatoes to onions to celery to carrots to tomatoes. However, you can switch these up if you’d like or even add any of the following:

  • Cabbage. Add one or two cups of chopped cabbage at the same time you add the beef broth.
  • Corn. Add one cup fresh or frozen corn at the same time as the beef broth.
  • Beans. Add one can (14.5 oz or so) beans of your choice, drained, at the same time as the beef broth.
  • Other types of onion. This recipe uses yellow onion, but you could also use white, red, or sweet instead.

How to thicken hamburger soup

By design, this soup will have a very thin and flavorful broth. However, it’s easy to thicken this soup if you’d like a creamier texture.

To do this, create a slurry by scooping out two tablespoons of hot soup broth, transferring it to a small bowl, and whisking in one tablespoon of cornstarch or flour (I tend to like the taste of cornstarch better, but straight flour is more effective for thickening). Pour the slurry back into the soup and stir well for a few minutes.

If needed, continue creating slurry and mixing it back in until the soup reaches the creaminess you’re going for.

Closeup of ingredients in bowl of hambruger soup.

How long is beef soup good for in the fridge?

Once prepared, hamburger soup can last in the refrigerator in a sealed container for three to four days.

Can you freeze hamburger soup?

Yes, you totally can! Soups are great for freezing in individual-sized portions, too.

To freeze, allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a sealable container or freezer bags.

Soup can be stored in the freezer for up to two to three months.

What to serve with hamburger soup?

If you’re serving soup as the main course, you might be wondering what else to serve with it. And I totally get it; soups are one of those gray areas where it can be an appetizer, side, or main course, and each situation can call for different options.

In my house, we typically serve soup with:

  • Bread. Whether it’s plain toasted bread, a bread baked with cheese, or even some simple sandwich, anything with bread is bound to be a good compliment to soup.
  • Salad. And when serving salad with soup, I try to pick a variation that has different (yet complimenting) ingredients to the soup. Leafy salad or hearty pasta salads are always a good fit.
  • Chips. There’s been plenty of times that we’ve actually eaten a thickened soup dip style with some oven baked tortilla chips.
  • Mashed potatoes. Starchy foods always help fill in the gaps of any dinner. I especially like making Irish colcannon.
Spoonful of hamburger soup.

Notes & tips for this beef soup

  • Once you’ve made this soup, you may want to serve it up in some classic soup bowls. I have these soup bowls in a few different colors and love them!
  • This soup is made using a dutch oven. There are plenty of pricey name-brand options out there, but I’ve used this Dutch oven for years and it’s still holding up just fine.

More great soup recipes

How to make homemade hamburger soup

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a dutch oven (or similar deep pot), brown and crumble the ground beef, then drain all the grease. Place the cooked meat back in the pot.

Step 2 – Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, yellow onion, celery, salt, pepper, and dried oregano to the pot, then give it a quick stir. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot to cook.

Step 3 – Remove the lid and give the soup a quick stir. Add the green beans, stir again, and then cover.

Step 4 – Cook until everything is tender.

Step 5 – Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Details

Savory homemade hamburger soup served in soup bowls.
4.56 from 9 votes

Hamburger Soup

15 mins prep + 45 mins cook
241 kcal
Yields: 6 servings
This hearty and comforting hamburger soup is a savory medley of ground beef, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, yellow onion, celery, green beans, and seasonings.

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 14 ounces diced tomatoes, (1 can) with juice
  • 3 medium sliced carrots
  • 2 medium peeled and cubed potatoes
  • 1 medium chopped yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
  • 1 pinch dried oregano, to taste
  • 1 cup green beans, fresh or frozen

Instructions

  • In a Dutch oven (or similar pot) over medium heat, cook and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease, then return meat to pot.
    1 pound ground beef
  • Add beef broth, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, salt, pepper, and oregano to the pot, then stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
    4 cups beef broth, 14 ounces diced tomatoes, 3 medium sliced carrots, 2 medium peeled and cubed potatoes, 1 medium chopped yellow onion, 1/2 cup sliced celery, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 pinch black pepper, 1 pinch dried oregano
  • Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
  • Remove lid and add green beans to pot, then stir. If needed, allow broth to come to a boil again.
    1 cup green beans
  • Once simmering, cover and cook for an additional 15 minute or until green beans are tender.
  • Serve hamburger soup immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1070mg | Potassium: 600mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5338IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg

I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.

Author: Chrisy

Made this recipe?

Tag @homemadehooplah on Facebook or Instagram and hashtag it #homemadehooplah so I can see what you whipped up!

Explore more: Appetizers, Beef, One Pan, Recipes, Sides, Soup, Veggies, Videos

As Featured In

  • Cover page of the Soups & Stews Volume 1 eBook.

    A purchasable collection of some of the best soup & stew recipes!

Leave a comment

Recipe Rating




6 comments

    • Janet Ross

    I love this soup and we have it often.
    If I have leftover roast I will use that instead of hamburger

    • Pete Distefano

    Love recipe

    • Darlene Hockin

    When I try to look at the soup bowls, it takes me to a Dutch Oven on Amazon.

      • Chrisy

      Thank you for catching that, Darlene! I’ve fixed the link 😀

    • John Newton

    like this ”hamburger soup ” recipe

      • Maria Guadalupe Hernandez

      Can I make this on an instant pot? And thanks