Hearty & Easy Hamburger Soup Recipe

Name: Hearty & Easy Hamburger Soup Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 1 14.5 can petite diced tomatoes; 1 4oz can green chiles, (mild); 1 squash, (quartered ); 1 zucchini, (quartered); 1 cup corn, (fresh or frozen); ¾ cup carrots, (sliced); 1 small onion, (chopped); ½ head cabbage, (chopped); 6 beef bouillon cubes; 8 cups water; 3 10oz cans of tomato juice

Yield 8 people

Cook 1

Prep 15

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This hamburger soup is made with basic pantry ingredients and loaded with hearty ground beef in a comforting beef and tomato based broth. Loaded with corn, carrots, squash, and zucchini, this is a vegetable ground beef soup everyone will enjoy! It's perfect for an easy weeknight meal!

White bowl containing a tomato based Poor Man's Soup with carrots, squash, hamburger meat and corn.

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ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions
💭 Expert Tips
🥘 What to Serve With This Soup
🍲 Looking for More Comforting Soups?
Hearty & Easy Hamburger Soup Recipe

This hamburger soup recipe is simple, hearty, and delicious. That's the perfect way to describe this beef soup with vegetables. Soups are perfect for weeknight meals and this one can be made ahead of time so it's ready to warm up for a quick dinner. If you have fresh vegetables you need to use before they go bad, then this easy hamburger soup recipe is for you.

White bowl sitting on a purple napkin containing Poor Man's Soup that contains carrots, hamburger meat, corn squash and zucchini.

ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works

1. What makes this hamburger soup recipe better than the others is the green chiles. Adding a small can of green chiles adds a subtle spice and a mild southwestern flair that is out-of-this-world delicious!

2. The base is made with beef bouillon and tomato juice which provides layers of flavor, especially since it's paired with the green chiles. These 3 ingredients provide that hearty and comforting flavor.

3. This soup is extremely versatile and you can use any type of vegetables you want, use beef chuck or ground turkey, and add a variety of starches such as potatoes, rice or pasta!

This recipe is often called poor man's soup, vegetable soup with beef, or kitchen sink soup, but no matter what you call it, this soup is an easy recipe to make, is extremely flavorful, and jam packed with veggies. To make this hamburger soup, all you need to do is cook the ground beef in a skillet, chop the vegetables, and then add them to a large pot. You'll add in the liquid ingredients along with the bouillion and green chiles and let is simmer on the stovetop until done. It really doesn't get easier than that!

White bowl sitting on a wooden table containing Poor Man's Soup that contains carrots, hamburger meat, corn squash and zucchini, wooden spoon and bread on table.

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

I typically make this hamburger soup recipe when I have fresh vegetables that have been in the crisper for 2-3 days and I haven't used them yet. This comforting soup has a rich tomato broth full of a variety of vegetables. And that's what I love about this hamburger soup recipe...I can use different vegetables every single time I make it. When I don't want my fresh veggies to go to waste, I make a batch. And then sometimes, I use a bag of frozen vegetables and add some beans. It really just depends what I have on hand.

These are my standard "go-to" ingredients when I make this hearty soup recipe. Ground beef is an inexpensive protein that adds a lot of flavor and really brings out the beef flavor you'll get from the beef bouillon. These 2 ingredients help make this taste more like a beef soup. I do add some tomato juice which helps contribute to that comforting and hearty flavor.

Green chilies add a bit of spice, but by no means makes this recipe spicy. They are used in this recipe as a flavor enhancer. I also love adding fresh cabbage which provides some fiber. Hamburger soup with cabbage is so tasty! I highly recommend using this vegetable. Adding zucchini, squash, carrots, corn, and diced tomatoes adds rich nutrients and an unbelievable fresh flavor.

Ground Beef, green chile, bouillon cubes, cabbage, zucchini, squash, corn, carrots on counter.

📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

This hamburger soup recipe is so easy to make and the flavors will taste like it has been cooking for hours! You'll start with the ground beef and brown it until it is no longer pink.

Ground beef and onions browning in a skillet.

Next, chop and wash all the vegetables and add them to a large pot. Add the browned hamburger meat and the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.

Pot containing a soup with cabbage, squash, zucchini, and hamburger meat.

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Bring the mixture to a boil and the lower the temperature to medium to medium-low. Cover and let the it simmer for an hour.

Pot cooking on stove top with zucchini, squash, corn, tomato, and hamburger meat.

After an hour, it's ready to serve. And that's it! That's how easy it is to make this hamburger soup recipe!

Spoonful of Poor Man's Soup in a white bowl containing cabbage, carrots, corn and tomatoes.

We love to top this hamburger soup recipe with freshly shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, or croutons. I also love pairing it with my Quick Peppery Cheese Bread!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this hamburger soup recipe in the crock pot?

Yes! It only takes 4 simple steps to make hamburger soup in the crock pot. Brown the ground beef in the skillet on the stovetop and drain any grease. Chop and wash the vegetables and add the ground beef along with the remaining ingredients to the crockpot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

What other ingredients can I add to hamburger soup?

The options are endless and any pantry friendly ingredient works well. Hamburger soup with pasta adds to the hearty and comforting flavor. Adding in dry ditalini pasta is a great choice and will cook in 10 minutes. I've also had success adding in orzo pasta. You can also add any type of potato, such a yukon, Idaho, or new red potatoes. Adding in a chopped green bell pepper, peas, and fresh parsley are also great choices. I also like adding pinto beans.

What other types of meat can I use?

Ground turkey, chicken, and italian sausage are great substitutes if you don't want to use ground beef. Chuck roast and sirloin are also a great choice if you want to stick with using beef in this soup.

How long is hamburger soup good in the refrigerator?

If stored in an airtight container, it will last for 4 days in the refrigerator. You can easily reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Can I freeze this hamburger soup recipe?

Yes. This is a freezer friendly recipe! Once it has cooled, pour the soup into a freezer safe container. It will last for 3-4 months in the freezer. To thaw, just place the frozen soup in the refrigerator and let it slowly thaw for 8-12 hours. From there, warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Purple pyrex dish containing tomato based Poor Man's Stew which includes squash, hamburger meat, corn and zucchini, chives and bread on purple napkin.

💭 Expert Tips

To thicken this soup into more of a stew, you can add in a cornstarch slurry. To learn how to make a cornstarch slurry, add 1 Tablespoon of water to a glass jar and then add in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Whip with a fork or whisk until there are no lumps. When the soup is done cooking, bring it back to a boil and then slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry mixture. Stir to combine and when it has reached your desired thickness, reduce the heat to low.
With this recipe, you can prep the ingredients ahead of time. When using fresh vegetables, I wash and chop them a day in advance and store them in the refrigerator until I'm ready to add them to the soup. You can also brown the ground beef the day before and store it in the refrigerator until ready for use.
If you choose to use potatoes, make sure they are no bigger than ½ inch thick when cutting. This will help ensure the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
To make this hamburger soup recipe even healthier, use a 93% or 96% lean ground beef.
For leftover hamburger soup, try serving it on a bed of rice, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash. If you choose to thicken it with the cornstarch slurry, you can add this to stuffed peppers, in zucchini boats, and even over a bed of fritos!

🥘 What to Serve With This Soup

This recipe pairs perfectly with a fresh green salad, like my Autumn Chopped Salad, Romaine Salad, or this Greek Kale and Quinoa Salad. My Quick Peppery Cheese Bread also goes perfectly with this soup. It's also great with cornbread.

White bowl containing Poor Man's Soup sitting on a purple napkin with spoon and corn on cob on table.

🍲 Looking for More Comforting Soups?

I eat soup year round and another healthy and hearty soup you'll enjoy is this Sweet Potato Soup with Butter Beans. This one is made in the instant pot and the blended butter beans make it wonderfully creamy and thick. I'm also a huge fan of this Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup and it's so easy to make because I use shredded rotisserie chicken to make things super simple during prep. And this Autumn Vegetable Beef Soup is another hamburger based soup that is full of vegetables. The difference with this on is it has a chicken broth base.

Update Notes: This post was originally published in February 2018, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in September 2021.

Comments

5 from 9 votes (1 rating without comment)