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Hamburger soup was what my mother made the first cold Monday night of October, when the garden was finished and the pantry had a little of everything left in it. One package of ground beef, an onion, potatoes, carrots, celery, a handful of green beans and some corn, canned tomatoes and beef broth. My father named it hamburger soup the first time she made it, and nobody ever tried to call it anything else, because it was not fancy enough to need a better name. It simmered on the back of the stove while we did homework at the kitchen table, and by supper it was thick enough to stand a spoon in. She set out crackers and the butter dish, and my brothers had three bowls each.
The whole flavor of this soup comes from the browning. Do not just cook the beef until it is no longer pink. Spread it out in the hot pot and leave it alone until it goes dark brown and crusty in places, then add the onion, then a spoon of tomato paste, and let the paste darken against the bottom of the pot for a minute before any liquid goes in. Those brown bits dissolve into the broth and give a cheap soup the depth of one that cooked all day. The potatoes do the rest: as they simmer their edges break down and thicken the broth all by themselves.
Why this hamburger soup works
- Beef browned hard. Dark, crusty bits of beef and the brown film on the pot are where the flavor of the broth comes from.
- Tomato paste cooked in. Toasting the paste for a minute turns it sweet and deep instead of sharp.
- Potatoes as the thickener. Their starch thickens the broth naturally, no flour needed.
- Vegetables in stages. Hard vegetables go in first, quick ones at the end, so nothing turns to mush.
- Ground beef, not stew meat. It is cheap, cooks fast and spreads through every spoonful.
Ingredients
Makes about 12 cups, 8 big bowls. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (680g)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups, 450g)
- 3 carrots, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups, 190g)
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 can (14.5 ounces, 411g) diced tomatoes, with their juice
- 6 cups beef broth (1.4 liters)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut in short pieces (150g), fresh or frozen
- 1 cup corn kernels (150g), fresh or frozen
To serve
- saltine crackers or cornbread, and butter
Use 85 or 90 percent lean ground beef. Fattier beef leaves a greasy layer on the soup; if you use it, spoon off the extra fat after browning.
How to make hamburger soup
Brown
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, press it into an even layer and leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom is dark brown. Break it up, turn it and brown again, about 8 minutes in all.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook against the bottom of the pot for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns a shade darker.
Simmer
- Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Scrape every brown bit off the bottom of the pot into the broth.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover partly and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and starting to break down at the edges.
- Add the green beans and corn and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the beans are tender and the soup has thickened.
- Remove the bay leaf, taste and add more salt and pepper. Serve hot with crackers or cornbread and butter.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not crowd or stir the beef too soon. Meat that is stirred constantly turns grey and steams instead of browning.
- If the soup gets thicker than you like, add a cup of broth or water. It thickens more as it sits.
- Mash a few pieces of potato against the side of the pot with a spoon for an even thicker broth.
- Season at the end. The broth reduces as it simmers, and salt added early can end up too strong.
Variations
- With macaroni. Stir in a cup of small elbow macaroni with the green beans and add an extra cup of broth.
- Cabbage. Add two cups of shredded cabbage with the potatoes for a heartier, cheaper pot.
- Slow cooker. Brown the beef, onion and tomato paste in a skillet, then put everything except the beans and corn in a slow cooker on low for 7 hours. Add the beans and corn for the last 30 minutes.
- Frozen mixed vegetables. Swap the beans and corn for a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
Storage and make-ahead
Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Like most soups, it tastes even better the next day.
Freeze in containers for up to 3 months. The potatoes soften a little after freezing but the soup is still very good.
Reheat on the stove with a splash of broth or water, since it thickens in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my hamburger soup taste bland?
The beef was not browned enough. Let it get dark brown and crusty, toast the tomato paste in the pot, and scrape every brown bit into the broth. That browning is the flavor.
Do I need to drain the ground beef?
With lean beef, no. With fattier beef, spoon off the extra fat after browning, before the onion goes in.
How do I thicken hamburger soup?
Let the potatoes simmer until they break down at the edges, or mash a few against the side of the pot. No flour needed.
Can I freeze hamburger soup?
Yes, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat with a little extra broth.
Brown the beef until it is darker than you think it should be, let it simmer while the house warms up, and put out the crackers. It is never fancy, and it is always gone.
Old-Fashioned Hamburger Soup (Ground Beef Vegetable Soup)
Hearty old-fashioned hamburger soup: ground beef browned hard with onion and tomato paste, simmered with potatoes, carrots, celery, green beans, corn, tomatoes and beef broth until thick. One pot, about an hour.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 can (14.5 ounces, 411g) diced tomatoes, with their juice
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut in short pieces (150g), fresh or frozen
- 1 cup corn kernels (150g), fresh or frozen
- saltine crackers or cornbread, and butter
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, press it into an even layer and leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom is dark brown. Break it up, turn it and brown again, about 8 minutes in all.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook against the bottom of the pot for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns a shade darker.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Scrape every brown bit off the bottom of the pot into the broth.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover partly and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and starting to break down at the edges.
- Add the green beans and corn and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the beans are tender and the soup has thickened.
- Remove the bay leaf, taste and add more salt and pepper. Serve hot with crackers or cornbread and butter.
