If your ideal soup is meaty, loaded with vegetables, and finished with a generous amount of cheese, then this Hamburger Soup is going to become a fast favorite. Kid-friendly, adult-pleasing, and on the table with minimal effort—hello, easy weeknight dinner!

Why You’ll Love This Hamburger Vegetable Soup Recipe

The Heartiest of Soups. When you want a soup that’s a real deal meal, it’s time to break out this easy hamburger soup recipe. Just like Chicken Wild Rice Soup and Easy Taco Soup, this soup is filling and delicious. With ground beef, veggies, and cheese, you’ve got everything you need for a satisfying dinner right here.
Kid-Friendly, Adult-Approved. Tired of acquiescing to the constant cries for chicken nuggets and grilled cheese for dinner? Hamburger soup is your secret weapon for dinnertime détente….which is a long way of saying: kids love it. There’s nothing spicy or complex here, the veggies can be tailored to your kiddos’ preferences, and it’s a well-rounded meal you can feel good about serving.
Freezer-Friendly. You can whip up this hamburger soup to serve a crowd, or freeze half a batch for later and have dinner ready to go another night. (My Cabbage Soup, Lentil Soup, and Instant Pot Split Pea Soup are great options for freezer cooking too!)
Weeknight Winner. The ingredients? Simple. The hands-on time? Minimal. You’ll just need to let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes—or make my Crock Pot Hamburger Soup and dinner’s done by the time you get home from work.

How to Make Hamburger Soup

The Ingredients

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. You’re using it for cooking, so there’s no need for a fancy variety here.
Lean Ground Beef. Using lean ground beef means you don’t end up with a lot of grease to drain off. If you use ground hamburger meat with a higher fat content, drain it after browning.

Tip!

Looking for more delicious ground beef recipes? Check out my Quick and Easy Ground Beef Dinner Ideas.

Yellow Onion. Onions are great in both soups and burgers.
Celery. Celery adds flavor to our hamburger soup base.
Tomato Paste. You’ll have leftovers, so freeze it for the next time you only need a few tablespoons of tomato paste for a recipe.
Garlic. I like using fresh here because it’s a little more pungent than garlic powder.
Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper. Freshly ground pepper is best.
Dried Oregano. Adds some flavor without being overpowering.
Cayenne Pepper. Feel free to adjust the amount according to your family’s taste preferences.
Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles. You’ll need the tomatoes, peppers, and the juices from the can.
Yukon Gold Potato. I keep the peel on for extra nutrition. A Russet potato will work too, but I prefer a waxy variety like Yukon gold potatoes (plus Yukons taste more buttery, which is always a good thing).
Red Bell Pepper or Green Bell Pepper. Green bell pepper has a bit more bite, while red is sweeter.
Worcestershire Sauce. Key for adding depth to the flavor of so many recipes. (You’ll also find it in my Stuffed Pepper Casserole and Ground Beef and Potatoes.)
Low-Sodium Beef Broth. I use store-bought, but homemade is fantastic too.
Frozen Mixed Vegetables. Frozen veggies save you prep time! A mix of peas, carrots, corn, and/or green beans is perfect.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Or try Colby jack or pepper jack.
Green Onions. For color, crunch, and flavor.

The Directions

Brown the Beef. Do this with the aromatics and seasonings.

Simmer. Stir in the liquid ingredients and potatoes and bring to a simmer.

Add the Vegetables. Stir them into the soup, then simmer partially covered until the potatoes are tender.
Finish. Add more broth, if needed, to reach your desired consistency. Ladle the soup into bowls, finish with cheese and green onions, and ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

Hamburger Soup With Rice. Add a cup of cooked long-grain brown rice or white rice to the pot of soup at the end of the cooking time. (I recommend cooked rice to keep it from soaking up all the broth in the pot!)
Hamburger Soup With Pasta. Add orzo, alphabet pasta, or another small pasta variety when you add the frozen vegetables.
Tex-Mex Hamburger Soup. Instead of oregano, add a tablespoon or two of taco seasoning. Add a diced jalapeño, a can of Hatch chiles, or a roasted poblano pepper for a little more kick. Top with the Best Guacamole.

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate hamburger soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To Reheat. Reheat leftover soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
To Freeze. Freeze the soup in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.

Meal Prep Tip

Dice the celery, onions, and bell peppers a day ahead of time and refrigerate them until you’re ready to start cooking. You can also shred the cheese and slice the green onion for the garnish and refrigerate those.

What to Serve with Hamburger Soup

Salad. This soup is a complete meal in a bowl, but if you want to stretch it out further, you can round out your dinner with a simple green salad like Arugula Salad or make a kid-friendly Fruit Salad.
Bread. Rosemary Olive Oil Bread or No Knead Focaccia will soak up all the last bits of flavorful broth.
Cornbread. Sweet cornbread makes an excellent pairing with hamburger soup! Try my Cornbread Muffins or Jalapeno Cornbread.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Dutch Oven. A kitchen multitasker that goes from stovetop to oven—and that’s roomy enough for big batches of soup!
Chef’s Knife. There’s no need to fill your kitchen drawers with fancy tools when you have a high-quality chef’s knife.
Ladle. A roomy ladle is a must for soups.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Dice the Potatoes in Uniform Sizes. It’s important that all the vegetables are roughly the same size, but it’s especially critical for the potatoes. Otherwise, you’re likely to have smaller potatoes that are mushy and falling apart and others that are hard and taste raw.
Swap the Meat. Feel free to swap the ground beef with ground turkey, or use your favorite plant-based ground beef to make this hamburger soup vegetarian. (Just be sure to also use a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce!)
Shred the Cheese Yourself. On a weeknight you might not have time, but if at all possible, I highly recommend shredding the cheese off the block rather than buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese. Store-bought shredded cheese has additives that keep it from clumping, but these also impact how it melts. For smoothly melted cheese, shredding it yourself is your best bet.
Don’t Forget to Add the Tomato Juice. Sometimes I’m on autopilot when I cook and I’m so used to things like draining the liquid from a can that I do it even when I don’t need to. In the case of this hamburger soup, the juices from the canned tomatoes and chiles add a lot of extra zip.
Use Low-Sodium Broth. This allows you to control the taste of the recipe—plus, it’s easier to add more salt than it is to take it away once it’s added. (The cheese alone adds a lot of extra salty flavor to this hamburger soup!)

Review Save Recipe Print

Hamburger Soup

4.96 from 22 votes

Loaded with ground beef, potatoes, vegetables, and melty cheese, this easy hamburger soup recipe will be a hit with the entire family!

Prep: 10

Cook: 45

Total: 55

Servings: servings

Review Save Recipe Print

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper plus additional to taste
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles in their juices
1 medium Yukon gold potato scrubbed and ½-inch diced
1 red bell pepper or green bell pepper diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 –4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables no need to thaw
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or colby jack or pepper jack
chopped green onions for serving

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Once hot but not smoking, add the beef, onion, and celery. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink and fully cooked through, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes, potato, bell pepper, and Worcestershire. Pour in 3 cups of the broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the vegetables. Continue simmering, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes more.
If the soup is thicker than you would like, add the additional broth until you reach your desired consistency. Re-cover the slow cooker and let cook 5 additional minutes to warm through and allow the flavors to marry. Serve hot, sprinkled with cheese and chopped green onions.

Video

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Notes

Adapted from my Crockpot Hamburger Soup

TO STORE: Refrigerate hamburger soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
TO REHEAT: Reheat leftover soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
TO FREEZE: Freeze the soup in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 6)Calories: 465kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 43gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 122mgPotassium: 1096mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 4974IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 270mgIron: 6mg

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