Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup: Hearty, Rich, and Freezer-Friendly

This is the pot of soup that turns one pound of ground beef into a supper for the whole family, with leftovers for the freezer. Brothy, loaded with potatoes and vegetables, and deeply savory when you build the flavor right. It starts with our single-source Diamond R 80/20 ground beef, browned hard for every bit of flavor it can give.

Why this hamburger soup works

The difference between a watery bowl and a rich one is a handful of small moves. Brown the beef until the pot bottom is covered in browned bits, cook the tomato paste until it turns deep brick red, and drop a Parmesan rind into the simmer. Then stagger the vegetables so nothing turns to mush, and finish with a splash of acid to make it all pop. None of it is hard, and all of it is worth it.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Diamond R 80/20 single-source ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce (optional, for richer body)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 Parmesan rind (optional but recommended)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 to 1.25 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2 cups cut green beans (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup chopped parsley, to finish
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste, pinch of sugar if needed

How to make it

  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add the beef in chunks and let it sit undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes to brown, then break it up and cook 6 to 8 minutes total until well browned. You want brown bits on the pot bottom, not gray steamed meat.
  2. Spoon or pour off most of the rendered fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot. That tablespoon carries flavor and cooks the vegetables.
  3. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook 5 minutes until softening, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  4. Stir in the tomato paste and the thyme and cook 60 to 90 seconds, until the paste darkens to a deep brick red. This is the step that makes the broth taste roasted instead of canned.
  5. Pour in about 1 cup of the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to lift all the browned bits into the liquid.
  6. Add the rest of the broth, the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce if using, Worcestershire, soy, bay leaves, and the Parmesan rind. Return the beef and add the potatoes.
  7. Bring to a boil, then immediately drop to a low, gentle simmer, cover, and cook 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Keep it at a lazy simmer, never a hard boil, or the potatoes go to mush.
  8. Stir in the green beans and simmer 5 to 8 minutes more until crisp tender. Fish out the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind. Taste and season with salt and pepper, adding a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
  9. Off the heat, stir in the red wine vinegar and the parsley, and skim any fat off the top. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Make it your own

Swap the green beans for corn or peas, added at the very end so they stay bright. A splash of Worcestershire and a teaspoon of soy deepen the meaty note, and a pinch of sugar tames sharp canned tomatoes. This soup is a great way to use your beef share, and it pairs with the rest of our ground beef dinner ideas for a week of easy dinners.

One pound of good beef makes a whole pot. Keep the freezer stocked with our Ground Beef Box, 18 pounds of single-source 80/20. From our ranch to your table.

Marty, Amy, Richelle, Rylie and Reece
Diamond R Cattle

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make hamburger soup taste rich instead of watery?

Four cheap moves. Brown the beef hard for the browned bits on the pot bottom, cook the tomato paste until it is deep brick red, simmer a Parmesan rind in the pot, and finish with a splash of vinegar. Those build a broth that tastes slow simmered instead of thin.

Do I need to drain the ground beef for hamburger soup?

With 80/20, pour off most of the fat but leave about a tablespoon to cook the vegetables and carry flavor, then skim any fat off the top at the end. That keeps it hearty without a greasy broth.

Can I freeze hamburger soup?

Yes, it freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool it fully, leave about 3/4 inch of headspace for expansion, and freeze in portions. The potatoes soften a little after freezing, which is normal.

Why did my vegetables turn to mush?

Usually a hard boil or adding everything at once. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer, add the potatoes early since they need 20 to 30 minutes, and add tender vegetables like green beans only in the last several minutes so they stay intact.

What ground beef is best for this soup?

A single-source 80/20 like ours. The fat browns into real flavor and the beef holds up in the broth. It is ground one animal at a time, with born here, raised here, and fed here on our family ranch in Independence, Kansas

The beef in this soup came off one animal on our ranch. If you want the longer answer on where ground beef comes from, it is here.

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