This hearty hamburger soup is an Amish soup recipe that's made with hamburger, potatoes, carrots, tomato juice, milk, and a few other pantry ingredients.
It makes a delicious one-dish meal, and it's one of my family's favorite soup recipes. Not to mention that it is very easy and quick to make. So it's one of my fall and wintertime go-tos for busy days when I need to get dinner on the table quickly.
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How to Make Potato and Hamburger Soup
This hearty hamburger soup recipe does not take long to make.
- Brown the Ground Beef:
- In a saucepan, brown the ground beef over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain any excess grease and set the cooked beef aside. (If preferred, you can cook the hamburger with the vegetables. But I like to cook it separately and drain the fat before adding it to the soup.)
- Prepare Vegetables:
- While the beef is cooking, peel and chop the veggies.
- Saute Vegetables:
- Melt the butter in a large pot (affiliate link). Add minced garlic, chopped onion, green pepper (if using), and sliced or chopped carrots. Saute for at least five minutes until the vegetables are softened.
- Add Tomato Juice:
- Pour in the tomato juice and bring it to a boil. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add Potatoes and Seasonings:
- Add the diced potatoes, cooked ground beef, and seasonings to the pot. If desired, add up to 1 cup of water or tomato juice for more liquid. Bring the mixture back to a boil and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Make Slurry:
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and 1 cup of milk to make a slurry. Ensure there are no lumps by sprinkling the flour over the milk as you whisk.
- Thicken Soup:
- Once the veggies are tender, stir the slurry into the soup.
- Add Remaining Milk and Brown Sugar:
- Pour in the remaining 3 cups of milk and add brown sugar (if using). Stir well and heat the soup, but do not allow it to come to a boil.
- Serve:
- Once heated through, enjoy your hamburger soup.
When eating soups, my family likes it when the potatoes are still slightly crunchy (it adds more texture). So I typically wait to add them until about 5 minutes before the soup is finished cooking.
Ten minutes should be enough to get them fairly soft. But if you like your potatoes very soft, you may need to cook them for a few additional minutes before adding the milk and thickening.
Gluten-Free Hamburger Soup
I enjoy cheesy and creamy soups such as cheesy chicken chowder.
But I have one kid who does not like cheese or thick creamy soups. And I have another daughter that is gluten intolerant. So I have to change some of my recipes to make them suitable for everyone to enjoy.
This recipe for hamburger soup gets thickened with a bit of flour. But whenever I make it for my family I adjust the ingredients a bit and don't thicken it. I add a bit less milk, and I don't add flour.
My family enjoys brothy and runny soup. So that's what I serve them. It's not a big deal, and I Iike it either way.
So if you're cooking for someone on a gluten-free diet, you can easily make this simple hamburger soup without the flour. And if desired, you could add some cheese to the soup to help thicken it.
Soup is Comfort Food for a Tight Budget
I love soup! So I'm happy that it is soup time of year again.
There's something about a cold or rainy day that calls for a pot of soup. It's comforting, and it warms you through and through.
And for some reason, I don't have as hard a time coming up with what to cook when it's soup season. There are just so many delicious soup recipes, and a lot of them are complete meals by themselves. So whether it's Beef Barley Soup, Chicken Corn Noodle Soup, Vegetable Soup, or a pot of Chili, they all make a hearty, comforting meal.
I'm always looking for cheap and quick meal ideas, and thankfully, hearty hamburger soup fits that bill.
Some people say that the Amish ladies make soup out of everything. Well, the truth is, you can add a bit more broth, milk, or water to the pot and stretch a pot of soup to feed many hungry tummies without breaking the bank.
Using Farm Grown Food
If you're a gardener, you know how much fun it is to create a meal with fresh garden goodies. When you're digging fresh potatoes, picking green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc., it's easy to come up with a meal from your garden.
And if you raise chickens, cows, etc., you can butcher your own meat and put some pretty cheap meals on the table.
So that's what a lot of the Amish do. They raise lots of their own food, whether it's meat, potatoes, or vegetables.
At home on the farm with my Amish family, we grew enough potatoes to last all year long. We stored them in our root cellar, and they usually lasted till it was planting season again.
So this meal of potato and hamburger soup was pretty cheap for us. We used beef from a cow that we put in the freezer, potatoes and carrots from the cellar, tomato juice from our canned shelf, and milk from our cows.
So you can see how much less it costs to feed a family if you grow your own food. And with the way things are going in our economy, I think it would be good for more of us to go back to living off of the land.
More Amish Soup and Comfort Food Recipes
I hope you enjoy this hearty hamburger soup as much as my family does. If you try it, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Thank you!
And if you'd like to serve something along with this tomato and hamburger soup, homemade buttermilk biscuits are an excellent side.
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Amish Hearty Hamburger Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ½ c. green pepper, chopped (optional)
- 1 c. carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped
- 2 c. tomato juice
- 2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½ tsp. salt (or to taste)
- ½ - ¾ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. seasoned salt
- 1 tsp. dried basil (optional)
- ½ tsp. dried thyme (optional)
- 4 c. milk
- ⅓ c. all-purpose flour (optional)
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the hamburger in a saucepan, drain the grease, and set aside.1 lb. ground beef
- Melt the butter in a large pot. Add garlic, onions, green peppers, and carrots, and saute for several minutes until softened.2 Tbsp. butter, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 small onion, chopped, ½ c. green pepper, chopped (optional), 1 c. carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped
- Add the tomato juice and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 - 15 minutes.2 c. tomato juice
- Add the potatoes, hamburger, and seasonings. (If you want more liquid, you can add up to a cup of water or tomato juice.) Bring back to a boil and continue cooking for another ten minutes.2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced, ½ tsp. salt (or to taste), ½ - ¾ tsp. black pepper, ½ tsp. seasoned salt, 1 tsp. dried basil (optional), ½ tsp. dried thyme (optional)
- Whisk the flour into 1 cup of the milk to make a slurry. (I recommend sprinkling the flour over the milk as you are whisking to prevent lumps from forming.) Stir it into the soup.⅓ c. all-purpose flour (optional)
- Add the remaining 3 cups of milk and brown sugar. Stir and heat, but do not allow it to come to a boil.4 c. milk, 3 Tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
- Serve.
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated to serve.
Anna
One of our favorite soup recipes!
Kimberly
Thanks for a gluten free option! I’m going to try this!
Anna
You're welcome. Enjoy!
Sierra
Good
Anna
Thank you!