Can you boil hamburger meat?
You can boil ground beef! Place the meat in a large pot and cover it with water. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula then bring the water to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for several minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. Drain and season.
SOUP VARIATIONS
I love this recipe as-is, but you can absolutely add other ingredients into the mix to customize the soup to your tastes.
Protein: Instead of ground beef, try ground turkey, mild Italian sausage or even cooked shredded chicken.
Potatoes: Skip the Russet potatoes and use Yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes or even sweet potatoes.
Vegetables: Try adding other veggies such as kale, butternut squash, bell peppers, spinach, zucchini or peas.
What to Serve with Hamburger Soup
While the soup is simmering, I prepare a quick chopped salad and slice up a loaf of french bread (almost always served with Homemade Garlic Butter) for a complete meal.
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, this soup is great reheated for lunches all week but even better, it freezes perfectly!
I prop up a freezer bag in my little baggie holder and fill each baggie with one serving.
When I need a quick lunch, I take it out of the freezer the night before or in the morning and microwave for a perfect meal. (And then sometimes add a little sprinkle of cheese before serving).
Ingredients:
* 2 lbs lean ground beef
* 1 white onion, peeled and diced
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano, more to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon dry basil, more to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
* 1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelope onion soup mix
* 6 cups water, more to desired consistency
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
* 1 cup celery, sliced
* 1/4 cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped
* 1 cup fresh carrot, sliced
* 1 cup white potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
* garlic salt, to taste
* shredded parmesan cheese, to serve
* sour cream, to serve
Directions:
1. Brown ground beef and onion in a large pot. Drain if needed.
2. Add spices and onion soup mix.
3. Stir in water, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients up to the potatoes bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until potatoes and carrots are tender about 30 minutes. (Add more water if needed).
5. Season to taste with garlic salt.
6. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese and sour cream.
NOTES
If you use ground beef with a higher fat content, be sure to drain off any excess fat before you proceed to the next step.
Ground turkey (93% lean) can be substituted for the ground beef.
Expert Tips
I have learned a few tricks over the years to keep this tasty soup fresh tasting, even with leftovers.
- Be careful with the pasta. Ideally, you want to cook the pasta separately (any small pasta that you have on hand will do) to help keep it from getting mushy. If I’m in a hurry though, and not planning for leftovers, I’ll just drop the pasta right in the pot and let it cook with the soup.
- Feel free to customize: I will also customize the soup with the veggies I have on hand, so this recipe is your baseline that you can make completely your own. Fresh veggies, like carrots and celery, can be cooked with the onions and beef. Frozen vegetables should be added and simmered with the soup.
- Potatoes are a great substitution for pasta. Dice potatoes into chunks and par boil before adding to the soup. If you want to cook them with the soup, that’s fine, but keep in mind that it will thicken your soup.
- Drain the grease: Browning the ground beef adds a ton of flavor but it can also add grease. Make sure to soak up the excess grease with paper towels or drain it from the pot
