- Cost per bowl: about $1.85 at 2026 grocery prices — one of the cheapest hearty meals you can cook.
- Freezes for up to 3 months per USDA FSIS ground beef storage guidelines.
- Add the pasta in the last 10 minutes only — otherwise it turns to mush by day two.
- One pot, one knife, one cutting board. Perfect Sunday-night dinner during a snowstorm.
What Exactly Is Hamburger Soup?
Hamburger soup is a broth-based one-pot meal built on ground beef, root vegetables, and tomatoes — a Depression-era invention that stretched a pound of beef into a meal for 6-8 people. Unlike beef stew, it stays soupy (not thick), and unlike chili, it skips the beans and heavy spice. The name refers to the hamburger meat, not a beef patty. Think minestrone’s American cousin.
Cookbook historian Serious Eats traces the modern version to church-cookbook contributions from the 1950s and 1960s, when canned tomatoes and pre-ground beef became household staples. The recipe barely changed in 70 years — because it never needed to.
Why Is Hamburger Soup Perfect for Winter?
Three reasons: it’s cheap, it scales, and it reheats better than most soups. According to a 2024 USDA Food Price Outlook, ground beef stayed one of the most affordable animal proteins per gram, averaging $5.20/lb nationally. One pound plus $8 of vegetables and pantry staples feeds a family of four for two nights. That’s dinner for eight people under $16.
It also freezes exceptionally well. The 2023 The Kitchn soup-freezer test rated brothy vegetable-and-meat soups as the top category for post-thaw quality retention — over 90% flavor and texture preservation vs. cream-based soups at 45%. Batch a double portion, freeze half, and next month’s snowstorm is already handled.
Watch: The Full One-Pot Method
Reading the steps is one thing; watching how loose you can be with the vegetable chop is another. This walkthrough covers the browning technique and the sequence that keeps everything cooked evenly without over-mushing the potatoes.
The Full Recipe (Serves 8)
Ingredients
Meat & aromatics:
- 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
Vegetables:
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced ¾-inch
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup frozen corn (optional but classic)
- 1 cup frozen green beans (optional)
Liquid & seasoning:
- 6 cups beef broth (low-sodium preferred)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Pasta (add near the end):
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add ground beef in one flat layer. Do not stir for 4 minutes — let it crust. Then break apart and cook another 3-4 minutes until fully browned. Drain excess fat if there’s more than 2 tbsp.
- Build the base. Push beef to one side. Add onion, celery, and a pinch of salt to the empty space. Cook 4 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic, cook 30 seconds.
- Add solids. Stir in carrots, potatoes, diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and all seasonings. Toss to coat.
- Simmer. Pour in beef broth and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Cover partially, simmer 20 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add pasta and frozen veg. Stir in macaroni, corn, and green beans. Cook uncovered 8-10 minutes until pasta is al dente.
- Taste and adjust. Fish out the bay leaf. Add more salt if needed (broth brands vary wildly). A splash of Worcestershire or a squeeze of lemon brightens it up.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls, top with fresh parsley. Crusty bread on the side, done.
How Do You Store and Freeze Hamburger Soup?
Refrigerated, hamburger soup keeps 3-4 days in an airtight container, per USDA FSIS leftover guidance. Frozen, it holds 3 months without meaningful quality loss. The one exception is the pasta — freeze the soup WITHOUT pasta, and add cooked noodles when reheating. Otherwise, you get mushy noodles regardless of how careful you are.
- Day 0-4: Refrigerator in airtight container. Reheat gently on stovetop.
- Week 1-12: Freezer in quart bags or containers. Freeze flat for easier stacking.
- Thawing: Overnight in the fridge, or on the stove over low heat straight from frozen.
- Reheating: Low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of broth if it thickened.
Variations That Actually Work
- Cabbage roll soup: Add 2 cups shredded green cabbage with the potatoes, skip the pasta. Tastes exactly like unstuffed cabbage rolls in 30 fewer minutes.
- Southwest hamburger soup: Swap Italian seasoning for 1 tbsp taco seasoning, add 1 can black beans, 1 cup corn. Top with sour cream and cilantro.
- Slow cooker version: Brown beef in a skillet first, then dump everything into the crockpot. High 3-4 hours or low 6-8. Add pasta in the last 20 minutes.
- Instant Pot version: Sauté function for browning, then high pressure 8 minutes with a natural release. Add pasta in a second 4-minute sauté cycle.
- Higher-protein version: Sub 1½ lb ground beef and add ½ cup dried lentils with the broth. Bumps protein to 38g per bowl. See our high-protein soup collection.
- Ground turkey swap: Works fine, but bump the Worcestershire to 2 tbsp and add ½ tsp smoked paprika for depth.
Best Sides and Toppings
Hamburger soup is a full meal, but the right side turns it into a proper Sunday dinner. Classic pairings that don’t compete:
- Crusty bread or dinner rolls — for dunking. Sourdough or a French baguette is ideal.
- Grilled cheese sandwich — the diner combo. Sharp cheddar on sourdough.
- Simple green salad — a bright vinaigrette cuts through the richness. Try our Caesar salad without the chicken.
- Grated Parmesan on top — non-traditional but excellent.
- A splash of hot sauce — Cholula or Frank’s, at the table.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Hamburger Soup
- Not draining the beef fat. More than 2 tbsp of rendered fat coats the broth and turns everything greasy.
- Adding pasta at the start. It bloats, absorbs half your broth, and turns mealy. Last 10 minutes only.
- Using russet potatoes. They fall apart. Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold shape.
- Under-seasoning. Broths vary wildly in salt. Always taste at the end and adjust.
- Boiling instead of simmering. A hard boil breaks the beef into rubbery pellets. Keep it at a lazy bubble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make hamburger soup in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the beef and sauté the onion in a skillet first, then transfer to the crockpot with everything except the pasta. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. Add uncooked pasta in the final 20 minutes. Total hands-on time: about 15 minutes.
How long does hamburger soup last in the fridge?
3-4 days in an airtight container at 40°F or below, per USDA FSIS food-safety guidelines for cooked ground beef. Store the pasta separately if possible — it continues absorbing broth and turns mushy by day 2. Reheat gently on the stovetop rather than in the microwave.
Can I freeze hamburger soup with pasta in it?
You can, but the pasta will be mushy after thawing. For best results, freeze the soup without pasta (up to 3 months). Cook fresh macaroni in a separate pot when reheating, then combine. This preserves both the broth quality and pasta texture.
What’s the difference between hamburger soup and chili?
Chili is thick and heavily spiced with beans and chili powder as the anchors, while hamburger soup is brothy and mild, built around vegetables and mild Italian herbs. Hamburger soup uses beef broth as its liquid base; chili typically doesn’t. Both start with a pound of ground beef.
Is hamburger soup healthy?
A 320-calorie bowl with 28g protein and 6g fiber fits most calorie budgets. Using 85/15 beef keeps saturated fat around 4g per serving — under 20% of the FDA’s recommended daily limit. Skip the pasta or halve the amount to drop carbs to 14g.
What to Cook Next
Loved this? The same one-pot logic runs through a whole category of winter dinners. Try our beef and barley soup for a similar comfort profile with chewier grain, or our tomato basil soup for a lighter starter. If you’re feeding a crowd, our stuffed bell peppers uses the same ground-beef-plus-rice base in casserole form.
Building a full winter rotation? Browse our one-pot soup collection — 15 tested comfort recipes designed for cold months.
Recipe adapted from traditional 1970s church cookbook methodology. Nutrition calculated via USDA FoodData Central. Freezer-storage guidance from USDA FSIS. Price data from the 2024 USDA Food Price Outlook.
Did You Try Our Recipe ?
Scrumptious
My husband (who is extremely picky) loved the liver & onions so much!! I didn’t have any beef broth or Sherry so I used about a tbl of Worcestershire and 1/4 c of white wine …..it was scrumptious
Response from MeatRecipesBox
Oh wow, I’m so happy to hear that!! 😍 I love that you made it work with what you had on hand — Worcestershire and white wine sound like a delicious twist. So glad your husband enjoyed it, especially being picky! Thank you for sharing your version, it makes me smile knowing it turned out scrumptious!
This was amazing
This recipe turned out really amazing! It’s juicy and spiced deliciously. I definitely would use less of the spicy pepper next time, but it really was delicious and I don’t think I’ll make chicken legs any other way from now on.!
Response from MeatRecipesBox
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review. I’m really glad to hear the recipe turned out juicy and full of flavor for you. That’s exactly what I was hoping for when putting it together. Good call on the spicy pepper as well. Adjusting the heat level to your own taste is always the best approach, and using a little less next time should make it just right for you. I really appreciate you trying the recipe and sharing your experience. It’s great to know it worked so well for you.
I Didn’t Expect This Cornbeef Hash Recipe to Taste This Good!!
One skillet. A handful of simple ingredients. Thirty minutes on the clock. And somehow… I ended up with the crispiest, most comforting cornbeef hash recipe I’ve made in years.
I wasn’t expecting much—just a quick, no-fuss meal. But that first bite? Crispy edges, tender potatoes, smoky corned beef, a little kick of pepper. It tasted like something straight off a cozy diner griddle.
Honestly, it caught me off guard—in the best way. Here’s why this simple skillet completely won me over.
Emma Delacourt
Recipe Developer & Founder, MeatRecipesBox
Emma has been developing and testing meat recipes since 2019. She focuses on temperature precision, food science, and making restaurant-quality results accessible for home cooks. Every recipe on this site is tested multiple times before publishing.
