Classic hamburger soup is a hearty, quick and easy meal packed full of yummy veggies, tender beef and most importantly, loaded with flavor. This recipe is easily customized to what you have on hand or your preferences. So make this hamburger soup your own, make it a version that your family will love and pass it down for generations to come.
Hamburger soup is known by many names, such as cowboy soup, poor man's soup, or hamburger stew, but in our house, it has only one name, and that is my family's classic hamburger soup. This recipe is as tried and true as it gets, passed down for generations, with each generation putting its own spin on the recipe.
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Looking for more soup recipes? We have so many good ones! This hamburger soup recipe inspired our super easy vegetable soup recipe. Also, don't miss this delicious oven-roasted butternut squash soup or this absolutely insane leek and corn chowder.
Do you love tried-and-true recipes like this one that have been passed down for generations? Then you have to try my traditional bierocks and my grandma's butter tarts, too!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe for classic hamburger soup has been passed down through four (or more) generations. Each generation has slightly altered it to put their spin on the recipe, and this recipe is mine!
- It is super quick and easy to make.
- Classic hamburger soup is a family-friendly recipe that even toddlers like!
- It has over 50 five-star reviews and hundreds of thousands of shares on Pinterest. The people have spoken, this is a recipe you do not want to miss!
Summarize and Save This Recipe Using:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
"OMG!!! This soup is the BOMB! I went step by step with the recipe, had everything except the thyme leaves. Put everything in my crockpot before I went to work, and when I came home ...OMG!!! IT WAS ON!!! My 18 year old son had three bowls! We love it! Thanks for the great recipe."
Classic Hamburger Soup Ingredients
- Ground Beef - Ground beef can be swapped for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison.
- Tinned Tomatoes - Tinned tomatoes can be swapped for fresh, diced Roma tomatoes. Use 28 oz, or around 3 ½ cups.
- Beef Consommé - While I highly recommend using beef consommé, it may be substituted for beef, chicken or vegetable broth.
- Bell Pepper - Any color of bell pepper can be used in this soup.
A full ingredient list with the exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications
- Spicy - To add some spice to this soup, add a diced jalapeno or some chilli flakes.
- Lower Sodium Alternative - Decrease the beef consommé to one can only, add 4 cups of sodium-free vegetable broth, chicken broth, or bone broth and decrease the water to 1 cup.
- Kid Friendly - This is a great soup for kids to help make, as it is mostly a "dump-and-cook" soup. Serve with some goldfish crackers or Doritos for them to crush up and add to the soup!
If you love this beefy hamburger soup, you have to try my lasagna soup in a slow cooker, too!
What to Serve With Hamburger Soup
Serve this classic hamburger soup with our buttery garlic bread baguette, incredible blackened chicken sandwiches or with our Italian grinder salad for a little soup and sandwich moment.
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How to Make Classic Hamburger Soup
Brown The Beef
Over medium heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it apart until it is fully cooked.
Leave a couple of tablespoons of beef fat in the pot to cook your veggies.
Soften The Veggies
Next, add in the onions, bell peppers, celery, and carrots. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the vegetables become slightly tender.
Let It Boil
Add all remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine and bring the soup to a simmer. Once it is simmering, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 45 minutes.
Serve It Up
Let it cool slightly and serve the soup either on its own, with a piece of crusty, buttered bread, with a side of garlic bread or in a delicious sandwich.
Expert Tip
As with most soup recipes, the longer it cooks, the more flavor builds, and the richer the soup will taste. If you are letting this soup simmer for a longer amount of time, turn the burner as low as it will go, and let the soup simmer all day!
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover classic hamburger soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This hamburger soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months. These are my favourite containers to freeze soup in, another option is using a zip-top bag. Avoid freezing soup in glass containers, as they could explode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Classic hamburger soup is made using ground beef, a ton of vegetables, consommé, tomatoes, barley and spices.
Drain off any excess fat, reserving a tablespoon or two to cook the vegetables in.
Yes, beef broth or consommé can be substituted for chicken or vegetable broth. Using chicken or vegetable broth will lighten the "beefy" taste of the hamburger soup.
Try adding cheese tortellini for a more filling meal, or serve with sandwiches or a side salad.
To add tortellini, cook it first in a separate pot of water, as the package instructs, adding it to the hamburger soup right before you are ready to serve.
Lots of extra vegetables and beans can be added to this soup. Some options are lentils, red kidney beans, corn, sweet potato, peas, potatoes, or green beans.
Yes, you can absolutely use a crockpot to cook this classic hamburger soup! Just brown ground beef before adding it to the crockpot. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Let the soup simmer on high for 4 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
If you made this classic hamburger soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Classic Hamburger Soup
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 600 grams Organic Ground Beef lean
- 1 large Onion diced (optional)
- 4 medium Carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks Celery chopped
- 1 Bell Pepper seeded and diced
- 28 oz Diced Tomatoes canned, drained
- 2 cups Water
- 3 cans Beef Consommé
- 1 can Tomato Soup
- ½ cup Pearl Barley
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2-3 Bay Leaves
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Stove Top Directions
- In a large stockpot or dutch oven, over medium heat brown ground beef until fully cooked. Drain off any excess fat, reserving a couple of tablespoons. Add the reserved fat back into the pot and add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add in tomatoes, beef consommé, tomato soup, water, pearl barley, parsley, thyme, cumin, garlic powder, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Remove from heat, keep covered with the lid and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Crockpot Directions
- Brown ground beef as directed above before adding it to the crockpot. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Let simmer on high for 4 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
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Notes
- Ground beef can be swapped for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison.
- Tinned tomatoes can be swapped for fresh, diced Roma tomatoes. Use 28 oz, or around 3 ½ cups.
- Beef consommé may be substituted for beef, chicken or vegetable broth.
- Any color of bell pepper can be used in this soup.
- To make this soup more filling, add a package of cooked cheese tortellini.
- To add some spice to this soup, add a diced jalapeno or some chilli flakes.
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- The soup can simmer much longer than 45 minutes, if you have the time. Set the soup on low and let it simmer for a couple of hours. This will build the flavors even more.
- Store leftover hamburger soup in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Allison says
Good for the soul
Jessica says
I agree!
Robbie says
I’m making this right now. A couple changes is I used sweet colored peppers, two heaping teaspoons of garlic and a small bag of penne pasta instead of barley and a few dashes of liquid smoke. I replaced the tomatoe juice with V-8 juice & subbed the hamburger with ground deer meat. I also added some Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika….house is smelling so good. I’m using the crockpot where it can slow cook all day while at work. I’ll post a picture this afternoon.
Jessica says
Sounds wonderful! We would love to see a photo of the finished dish! Tag us @whippeditup on instagram! 😃
Allison says
Forgot to rate this recipe on my first comment. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely a five.
Burt B. says
Whoah that looks terrific, great job !!
Jessica says
Thank you!
Kristen says
I made a huge pot of this wonderful soup today, as we finally had some rain! I don't use canned soup, but I did add low sodium broth. Chopped onion and garlic, along with many vegetables. It was so good! Thanks!!!
Jessica says
I am so happy that you liked it!! ?
Samm Porter says
Soup is fantastic. Used just water as I had no broth or canned soups so less salt. Had a tin of ROTEL finely chopped tomatoes and green chilies which made a good flavour as I did not have garlic nor most of the spices listed — flavour was subtle but delicious. This recipe is easy to make once veges are all chopped. Regular white onion seems to blend in well and not deviate from original theme of the recipe. Loved all photos and instructions. Thanks for a well thought out soup recipe.
Jessica says
Thanks for the kind words and I am SO happy that you loved it! I love the addition of the Rotel tomatoes, I am a big fan of those also!
Will Bridgeforth says
OMG!!! This soup is the BOMB! I went step by step with the recipe, had everything except the thyme leaves. Put everything in my crockpot before I went to work, and when I came home ...OMG!!! IT WAS ON!!! My 18year old son had three bowls! We love it! Thanks for the great recipe.
Jessica says
Thank you for the great review! We are stoked that you loved it!
Lisa says
Wonderful recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am also allergic to onions and it is the bane of my existence. EVERYTHING has onions and it’s so frustrating. Seems that is everyone’s go-to flavor booster & no one knows how to spice food up without them. Thank you for a recipe that is flavorful without onions.!!
Welcome to 3% of the population, Eddie. We are a rare bunch. Highly likely you are also allergic to sulfa drugs, so watch that if you have never taken any!
Jessica says
We are so happy that you loved this recipe. Yes, onions are in absolutely everything! Mostly all of our newer content is onion-free! We hope you'll be back for more onion-free recipes in the future 😃
Ashley says
Can you freeze this recipe?
Jessica says
Hi Ashley,
Yes, this hamburger soup freezes beautifully. Freeze in ziplock bags or a plastic container for up to 6 months. It can be heated from frozen.
Theresa L Jarvis says
This soup was so delicious!!! Everyone loved it. five stars!
Jessica says
Awesome! So happy that you liked it!
Công ty Triều An says
i like the classic
Lindsey says
This recipe is perfection!! I am a novice when it comes to any type of soup. This came out so delicious, my husband and I both loved it. I love barley so I added a little bit extra. I can't wait to make this again and again.
Jessica says
Yay! We are so happy that you and your husband liked it! I am a barley lover too, I sneak a bit extra in every time I make it 🙂
Benni says
Pretty good. The store was out of pearl barley so I used macaroni. I don't usually buy canned soup, but I thought it would be less flavorful without the tomato soup so I went for it. First time I've purchased canned soup in about 20 yrs. Didn't think it would do much damage even though there were some questionable ingredients. I always cook everything from scratch. Anyway, the flavor was very good & I'll be making it again. Prep time was a little over an hour.
parichute says
My family LOVED this soup! I used Better than Bouillon in place of consumme and a 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes (stripped of stems and squished) foregoing tomato soup. It is similar to Venus de Milo (VdM) soup but MUCH better. No more VdM for us.
Thank you for an excellent 'keeper'.
Jessica says
Amazing! We are so happy that you and your family love the soup!
Ck says
Could you use rice in place of the pearl barley?
Jessica says
Hi Ck,
I have not tested using rice in place of the pearl barley.
Lala says
I really like this soup. I had to make some changes because of the tomatoes. In place of the tomatoes I used v8 juice,3 tablespoons of tomato paste and w cups of broth with Better than bouillon. I will definitely make again
E cruickshank says
Made this soup it was delicious .
Alanna says
I've made this soup twice and it turned out fantastic both times. I added the optional onion and a little extra of the seasoning, but other than that followed the recipe as is. It's really good! Thanks for sharing.
Linda Hay says
This soup is fantastically delicious!! The only change I made and it wasn't really a change is I added some broth that I had leftover from doing beef back-ribs with the beef broth and I used tomato juice as I had no tomato soup.
A keeper of a recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Aline says
It’s an easy soup to make