Hamburger Soup is thick and chunky and uses absolutely no fillers. This soup is all beef and all vegetables; it’s also family and budget friendly. Make a large amount – double the recipe if you have too – because, everyone always wants seconds!
Can I be honest with you, Dear Reader, I had never heard of Hamburger Soup until I met Chris and Tara over at Simple Food 365. Their blog has been inactive for quite sometime now, but I have thought about their Hamburger Soup many times over. I had to make it!
Like most people, I too make New Year’s resolutions. And this year, I promised myself that I would eat more vegetables. I bet that might sound strange coming from me, considering that Lord Byron’s Kitchen started out as a vegetarian blog!
I have to say, that being a full time vegetarian blogger at the beginning, turned me into a lazy cook. It’s true! I’m not speaking on behalf of all vegetarian bloggers, of course, but in my case, I missed cooking meat so much that I found my vegetarian meals were on constant repeat.
The summer months are easy. There’s an abundance of fresh, local vegetables and fruits, but when the cooler months set in, it’s easier to resort to things like heavy pasta dishes. In our house, pasta is the go-to vegetarian weeknight dinner. And, if you ask my favourite jeans, they will tell you they don’t like it.
So, with more veggies on the plate, or in this case the bowl, I’m setting out to incorporate more vegetables into our diet. And, I can’t think of a better way to start, than with a root vegetable laden dish.
When it comes to vegetables, I highly favour root vegetables. I’ll choose potatoes, turnip, cabbage, beets, carrots, squash, etc., any day over asparagus, green beans, broccoli, etc. Even though I love nearly all vegetables, roots vegetables are what’s considered comfort food to me. It’s what I grew up with. It’s what I know!
This Hamburger Soup uses some of my favourites. I’ve filled the pot with onions, leeks, potatoes, and carrots! Even if you’re not a meat-eater, this soup would be delicious with vegetarian beef crumbles as well. If you do, use about 2 cups of the crumbles, which will be close to the two pounds of ground beef.
By the way, Dear Reader, you know I love to cook in large quantities. This recipe makes a lot of soup!! You most certainly can half the ingredient amounts if you so choose. If you follow my directions, you’ll have enough soup to feed at least 6-8 very hungry people!
Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 stalks leeks, halved and sliced
- 3 whole bay leafs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 4 cups water
- 5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cups frozen peas
Instructions
- Start by adding the ground beef to a skillet and over medium heat, cook the beef, stirring occasionally until the beef is cooked through. Drain the grease and set aside.
- In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, add the olive oil, and turn the heat to medium. Toss in the onions, celery, carrots, leeks, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Saute all of these ingredients together for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the veggie stock and water. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Next, add the potatoes and ground beef. Cover and cook for 20 more minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and soy sauce. Stir. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Lower the heat to a simmer. Add the peas and corn. Cover and continue simmering for another 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the bay leaves and taste for seasoning. Extra salt might be required depending on the saltiness of the broth being used.
- Serve hot. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Whitney says
This would make a great dish for a potluck since it feeds so many! I love Chris and Tara’s recipes, and this veggie version looks so comforting!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
You’re right, it would! And, yes, they have such wonderful recipes. I love hanging out on their blog. 🙂
Brian Jones says
Root vegetables at this time of the season are the king of our kitchen too, I love the sound of this hearty, simple and real warming a perfect winters meal!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thanks, Brian.
Paige says
Great stew Byron, and I would have never guessed it’s vegetarian 🙂 Looks so hearty! And I’m with you – I love love love root veggies too – they always seem to go perfectly in stews and soups!
Hillary Reeves says
I love that you made this vegetarian! I definitely prefer my hamburger between two buns, but if I’m going to have it in soup form, might as well be packed with all those amazing veggies!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Truth be told, me too! But, I make so many sacrifices for the vegetarian. 🙂
Mary says
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that has to consciously make an effort to include lots of vegetables into our diet in the cooler months. Carbs are wonderful comfort food, not so much for the waistline. I don’t think anyone would notice anything missing in this soup. Looks wonderful!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Do you know what sucks most about being a food blogger? Not wanting to make the same dish twice. This soup though, needs to be made again and again.
Soup Nut says
MY husband made this for us, including the ground beef but forgetting the 🍄 😁 It is sooo good! Power packed with those wonderful veggies, it’s good for what ales ya and especially good now that we’re getting winter weather here in NW PA.
Thank you! 👍🏻♥️👏🏻
Jen Swenson says
I made this for my family. They absolutely LOVED it! It’s the next day and my husband is still randomly commenting how great that soup ways. 🙂
Mike Gignac says
Amazing.
Some mods based on what I had on hand.
-2/3 beef and 1/3 ground pork
-Dehydrated mushrooms and rehydrating water added
-Green beens cut in thirds added
-2.5 cups Pasta instead of potato added 15 minutes prior to finishing
-Beef broth instead of veg broth
Wow