How to Make Classic Homemade Hamburger Soup

Hamburger soup is a classic, easy, fast and affordable soup to prepare. And it has a flavour that’s loved by young and old. This is a soup you can serve anytime, anywhere to anyone!

Also Read: Top 11 Questions About Making Soup, Classic Beef Stew, Beef and Barley Soup

I love when food tastes great, is easy to prepare, makes use of what’s in the fridge or garden and is budget friendly. A classic homemade hamburger soup fits the bill!

What Can I Add to Hamburger Soup?

Garden Fresh Vegetables

My mom used to call this soup “Across the Garden Soup” (except she’d say “Quer durch den Garten”). She would literally go through the garden, pick whatever veggies were ripe and make this soup. In other words, you can add just about whatever vegetables you have on hand. In the summer add fresh garden veggies, in the winter, add your favourite frozen vegetables.

Add fresh garden vegetables based on how long they will need to cook in order for them to be as tender as you wish. Carrots will take longer than fresh beans, which take longer than fresh peas.

Root Vegetables

This hamburger soup is a great way to experiment with root vegetables that you or your dinner guests may not be familiar with. In addition to potatoes and carrots, consider adding sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips or rutabaga. You may discover a new favourite!

Pro Tip: Rutabagas and turnips both grow as roots and are members of the cabbage family. Turnips are usually the brighter of the two with purple on top and white on the bottom. The inside flesh is very white. Eaten raw, turnips have a sharp, almost radish like flavour. Rutabagas are usually bigger and rougher on the outside with a dark purple top and yellow/brownish bottom. Their flesh is more yellow and is milder and sweeter than turnips.

Leftover, Canned or Frozen Vegetables

Last night’s leftover cauliflower or frozen vegetables like peas, corn, green beans can be added towards the end of cooking just to heat through.

Canned Beans

Canned beans like kidney beans, lima beans, white beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, etc. add more protein and fullness to your soup. Rinse them well and add towards the end just to heat through.

Leftover Tomato Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Salsa, etc.

If you have leftover tomato product in your fridge, maybe a little bit of tomato salsa, go ahead and add it to this soup when you’re adding the canned tomatoes. It’ll incorporate nicely into this soup.

Pasta, Rice or Barley

You can add macaroni or other types of pasta, rice, barley or other grains, just be aware that they will soak up extra liquid and when left in the fridge overnight will absorb most of the broth.

To avoid bloated pasta or rice, consider cooking them separately from the soup. That way you have the perfect consistency and you can store the soup and the add-ins separately in the fridge or even the freezer.

If you plan to eat the soup all at once or don’t mind swollen noodles or rice, go ahead and cook them directly in the soup. Add 1/2 cup pasta or rice and an extra cup of stock, water or tomatoes when you add the stock and cook 15 to 20 minutes to cook them until tender (instead of 8 minutes as in the recipe).

How Can I Make My Soup More Flavourful?

If you find your soup a little lack lustre here are a few ideas to boost flavour – try this in just about any soup you’re making.

• Adjust the seasoning to your liking just before serving with more herbs and spices already used in the soup. For this soup, add more thyme, basil, oregano (Italian seasoning), chili powder, cayenne pepper.
• Add a rind of Parmesan cheese when you add the bay leaf.
• Add soy sauce, dried mushrooms, miso paste, fresh mushrooms, nutritional yeast, bouillon powder or fish sauce to boost the umami flavour.
• Add a little acid (vinegar, red wine or lemon juice) to brighten the flavour.
• Chop fresh herbs and add to each bowl just before serving.
• Add a touch more salt and pepper, but if there’s enough salt try onion powder, hot sauce or garlic powder.
• Add some freshly grated Parmesan to each bowl of soup

What Kind of Potato is Best for Broth Soup?

I’m a big fan of “use what you got”! So the best potato is the one you have, especially if it needs to be used up!

That said, there is a quite a difference between potato varieties. You may not notice a big difference between yellow or red potatoes but you will notice a difference between those types and a russet potato.

Starchy potatoes like russet potatoes get pillowy with soft edges when cooked for a long time. In soup, they’ll start to crumble a little. This can make soups a little cloudier and provide a little bit of thickness. In fact, you can use this to your advantage, simply mash or puree these potatoes to thicken your soup.

Waxy potatoes like red, white or yukon gold potatoes will hold their shape when cooked. You will continue to see the distinct shape of the potatoes as you cut them. Of course, they will soften the longer you cook them, but it takes longer and if you want to use these potatoes to thicken your soup, you’ll have to squish harder.

For a broth soup like this hamburger soup, I prefer red, white or Yukon yellow potatoes so I can have distinct chunks of potatoes.

For thick and creamy soups like Leek and Potato soup, Chicken Corn Chowder, or Cream of Broccoli Soup I like using russet potatoes to help create a glorious thick soup.

What Kind of Stock or Broth Should I Use?

Choose according to taste. Whether you choose homemade or store bought, beef, chicken, veggie or ham stock – it has to taste good to you. Remember that homemade stock won’t have the intense flavour that most store bought stocks or broths do. Store bought options come pre-loaded with salt, seasoning and preservatives. With homemade stocks you have the opportunity to season the final soup as you like.

In the retail world, the line between STOCK and BROTH is very blurred, there is no consistent standard or definition from one brand to the next. These terms have become almost meaningless.

In the culinary world, a STOCK is made with bones and is considered a base to be seasoned when used in different dishes. Because of the high collagen from the bones and the extended simmering time to draw out all the goodness from the bones, stocks often become thick and jelly like. Meanwhile BROTH is made with meat and vegetables and is often seasoned and finished to be used as is.

Ironically, the popular term “Bone Broth” should actually be called “Bone Stock” since it is touted to offer the benefits of collagen and bones simmered for a long time – um – that’s STOCK! Confusing, right!

In the end, it’s the taste that matters. Choose what you love then taste and season your soup according to your taste preferences.

How Long Will This Soup Last?

A good rule of thumb for most soups is about 3-4 days in the fridge. This hamburger soup is no exception, store in the fridge in an airtight container once it’s cooled for 3-4 days.

Can I Freeze Hamburger Soup?

Well, it depends on what type and how many veggies you’ve added to this soup. Let me be clear, it’s perfectly safe to freeze this soup regardless of what veggies, but the texture of some vegetables may change. Potatoes, for example, will get a little grainy when frozen and other veggies may get quite soft. If your version has more potatoes than any other vegetable and your sensitive to texture changes, make a smaller batch and enjoy it all in a couple of days rather than freezing.

If you want to freeze this soup, place in an airtight container and freeze for 3-6 months.

Hamburger Soup Recipe

Do you have any questions about making hamburger soup, do you have favourite add-ins that I’m missing out on? I love getting reader’s questions and the opportunity to swap tips and info. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @getgettys and Facebook @GettyStewart.HomeEconomist.