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Easy Hamburger Potato Soup

This is likely the easiest hamburger potato soup recipe you’ll come across. It requires ZERO vegetable chopping and just 10-15 minutes of active cooking time. Every massive two-cup serving has 18 grams of protein with only 240 calories, making this a high volume soup perfect for keeping you cozy and full on a low calorie diet.

You will find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but I’ll walk you through all the convenience ingredients and substitutions between here and there. I’ve tested many variations of ground beef and potato soup, so I feel confident you’ll be an expert after reading through this post.

a bowl of hamburger potato soup with a piece of grilled sourdough bread

Ingredients for Hamburger and Potato Soup

Similar to my easiest turkey chili ever, this soup uses frozen veggies to alleviate the need for your chef knife and cutting board. But unlike the chili recipe, you don’t need a food processor or blender to hide any veggies. Here’s a look at the “convenience” ingredients you’ll need:

  • Frozen Chopped Onions – Can’t find frozen? Pre-diced onion works fine, and you can always dice your own. You’ll need 2 2/3 cups to replace a 12 oz bag of diced onions.
  • Canned Diced Potatoes – This speeds up the cook time of this soup drastically, but you’re welcome to use freshly peeled potatoes instead. I’ve included specific notes in the recipe card for using fresh potatoes.
  • Frozen Crushed Garlic – I always have frozen garlic cloves and ginger cubes on hand. It saves a ton of time when cooking. And don’t worry, freezing keeps the fresh garlic flavors unlike pre-minced garlic or ginger pastes.
  • Frozen Mixed Vegetables – I used a mixed veggie blend, but you could use just peas and carrots or your favorite hamburger soup vegetables. You can also add more than just one bag if you like a veggie-heavy soup.

In my experience, using frozen and canned vegetables for something like soup produces an end result that’s mostly indistinguishable from a soup made with fresh veggies. Especially when it’s for something like a mirepoix (onion, celery, etc.) and potatoes.

frozen onions and mixed vegetables, beef bone broth, canned potatoes, frozen crushed garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and ground beef

Veggies aside, the only other things you need to make a great hamburger and potato soup is ground beef, salt and pepper, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce (or another umami sauce like soy sauce, fish sauce, etc.), and beef or chicken broth. I like using bone broth for an extra protein boost and slightly thicker soup.

While the recipe doesn’t call for them, you could always add some herbs and other spices to the soup while it simmers. Thyme would go great here, and red pepper flakes would add a bit more heat to the broth.

Another thing I always recommend for soups and chili is finishing with a few tablespoons of vinegar and/or hot sauce. This provides a pop of acidity that brightens the dish and takes things to another level.

What to Serve with Hamburger Soup

It’s hard to beat a piece of crusty bread with soup. I like to spray slices of sourdough bread with a bit of avocado or olive oil spray and toss them in a grill pan to create extra crunchy grilled bread.

bowl of hamburger soup with a sliced of grilled sourdough bread in it and a plate with cornbread behind it

Another great option is cornbread. It’s easy to make lower calorie cornbread with something like Greek yogurt or higher protein mixes like Kodiak Cakes pancake mix.

And finally, nothing will take you back to the school cafeteria faster than a bowl of hamburger soup with saltine crackers. The real question is whether you crumble the crackers in the package before adding to the soup or putting them in the soup whole. (I’m a crumble in the package guy.)

However you end up serving your ground beef potato soup, I’d love to hear about it. Let me know your thoughts about this recipe in a recipe review or comment below. And if you’re on the hunt for more high protein soups, be sure to check out my creamy taco beef soup or white bean chicken soup recipes next.

a bowl of hamburger potato soup with a piece of grilled sourdough bread

Hamburger Potato Soup

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Easy, high protein ground beef and potato soup with mixed vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 pound Extra Lean Ground Beef
  • 12 oz bag Frozen Diced Onions
  • 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
  • 3 cloves Crushed Garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 28 oz can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
  • 4 cups Beef Broth
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 12 oz bag Frozen Mixed Vegetables
  • 3 15-oz cans Diced New Potatoes, drained (see notes below for fresh potatoes)*
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar, to taste
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add the ground beef and brown for 3-4 minutes before breaking apart and added the diced onion. Cook both together until the beef is cooked through, another 3-4 minutes. 
  2. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
  3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Add the diced potatoes and frozen mixed vegetables and stir everything together. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes. (You can let the soup simmer for longer to further develop flavors.)
  5. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and hot sauce. Salt to taste before serving with grilled bread, cornbread, or crackers.

Notes

*For fresh potatoes, peel 1 1/2 pounds of russet or new potatoes and add them in step 2 with the tomato paste and other ingredients. You may need to slightly extend the cook time to cook the potatoes until fork tender. 

You can use freshly diced onions instead of frozen, drained cans of mixed vegetables, or other frozen vegetables instead of mixed veggies.

For a spicier soup, you can swap the tomato paste for 2-3 crushed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 2 cups (about 16 oz)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 3gCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 4gProtein: 18g

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Lindsay

Monday 19th of August 2024

I’ve been a big fan of Mason’s recipes for awhile but fell off cooking due to my schedule. I made this tonight and was amazed how good it was! Absolutely delicious. I used chipotle hot sauce.

Bianca

Wednesday 17th of January 2024

This soup was SO good and hearty! And the macros are awesome! My 2 and 4 year old are picky eaters and even they loved it. I forgot to add the balsamic vinegar and hot sauce at the end but we enjoyed it without 😊. Served with some saltines and cornbread. Thanks for the best recipes Mason! This was perfect for our snow day!

Robyn

Wednesday 20th of December 2023

Made this yesterday with some cornbread on the side. Hits the spot on these cool FL nights! I doubled the lean beef for 30g per serving. :) This will be on my rotation.

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