This Ground Beef Vegetable Soup recipe is a delicious, satisfying one-pot meal filled with hearty ground beef and tender vegetables in a rich and savory broth. Easy dinner recipe with delicious leftovers for lunch.
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When the weather turns cool, I love cooking cozy foods like Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes, Baked Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy, Cheesy Chicken Bake.
But there's nothing quite as comforting as a pot of soup simmering on the stove top.
Vegetable soup with ground beef and frozen vegetables is one of my favorite soups to tuck into on a chilly day. This hearty hamburger soup with savory ground beef and tons of vegetables in a rich tomato-based broth will stick to your ribs and warm you up from the inside out.
Best part? It's a super easy soup recipe that comes together with simple ingredients and a few minutes of prep.
It's easily a delicious meal on its own, or pair it with a green salad and a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the savory broth.
You’re going to love this
- Easy one pot meal with very little prep. Perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends
- Hearty hamburger soup the whole family will love
- Great meal prep recipe -- the leftovers are even better the next day
- Easy hamburger vegetable soup with simple ingredients
- Perfect big batch soup for family get-togethers
Ingredients
See recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Ground beef. One pound of ground beef turns this simple vegetable soup recipe into a complete meal. You can substitute lean or extra lean ground beef or ground turkey.
Beef broth. Beef broth amps up the savory flavors. I like to use low-sodium beef broth. Vegetable broth will also work -- or chicken broth if that's all you have.
Canned diced tomatoes with juice. Throw in the whole can of tomatoes, juice and all.
Condensed tomato soup. This vegetable beef soup without tomato sauce or tomato paste relies on this easy pantry ingredient for even more rich tomato flavor.
Worcestershire sauce. A tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce just makes beef taste beefier.
Italian seasoning. This handy seasoning combo usually has basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and other savory herbs that flavor the broth.
Bay leaf. When bay leaves are steeped in the cooking liquid, they add a warm aroma and flavor to the soup.
Mixed vegetables. This soup is the perfect use of frozen vegetables with carrots, corn, peas, and green beans. As they simmer in the reduced broth, they absorb the flavors and become perfectly tender and flavorful. You can also use fresh vegetables, which may take a little longer to cook.
Recipe Variations
The flavors in this easy hamburger soup are savory and mild. If you prefer a zestier bowl of soup, here’s how to add more flavor:
- Fresh herbs — add some fresh herbs at the very end like fresh basil or fresh parsley
- Seasonings and spices — sprinkle in some onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, curry powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper
- Parmesan — toss in a Parmesan rind and let it simmer away in the broth
- Acid — add a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of vinegar
- Salt — if your soup is bland, it might just need more salt
How to Make Vegetable Ground Beef Soup: Step-by-Step
Step 1: In a stock pot or large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped celery and onion. Stir occasionally until softened, 5-6 minutes.
Step 2: Add the ground beef, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the hamburger meat is no longer pink, 6-7 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.
Step 3: Add the broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Simmer for 30-35 minutes to reduce the broth and concentrate the flavors.
Step 4: Add the frozen mixed vegetables and simmer for 15 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender and to your liking. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Reduce the broth. Letting the broth simmer and reduce for 30-35 minutes concentrates the flavors.
- Make it more or less "soupy." This is a very chunky soup. If you like your soup a little thinner, go ahead and add more broth or a little water and let it simmer to warm through.
- Taste for seasoning. Taste the broth. Does it need a little salt? Something spicy? It's best to add spices, dried herbs, and other seasonings as early as possible so they can simmer in the broth. Take a taste (careful, it's hot!) and decide if it needs a little more salt, something spicy, or maybe a dash of paprika or chili powder.
- Check the veggies. Before you remove the soup pot from the stove, check the tenderness of the veggies. Carefully remove a few, let them cool, and check that they are as tender or crisp as you like them.
Recipe FAQs
This easy vegetable hamburger soup recipe contains celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, peas, corn, and carrots. You can add almost any kind of vegetable you like, such as potatoes, winter squash, cabbage, zucchini, leafy greens -- whatever you love!
You can keep leftover soup in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Yes, this delicious soup freezes really well. Ladle the soup into a freezer-safe container or place individual portions in zip top freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
A bowl of vegetable beef soup is a complete meal in itself. Or you can round it out with sides and salads (and desserts!) the entire family will love:
• Garlic bread
• Cornbread
• Pepperoni Flatbread
• Spinach Arugula Caprese Salad
• Zesty Quinoa Salad.
• Tuna Macaroni Salad
• For dessert: Nutter Butter Bars and Red Velvet Oreo Brownies are always a hit!
For more ideas, check out my blog post with the best side dishes for soup.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
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*Easy* Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
- 10.8 ounces condensed tomato soup (1 small can)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
Instructions
- In a stock pot or large Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped celery and onion. Stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the ground beef, garlic, and salt and black pepper. Cook until the hamburger meat is no longer pink, 6-7 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Simmer for 30-35 minutes to reduce the broth and concentrate the flavors.
- Add the frozen mixed vegetables and simmer for 15 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender and to your liking. Remove the bay leaves, serve, and enjoy!
Storage & Freezing
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze hamburger vegetable soup in a freezer-safe container or in zip top freezer bags for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or microwave.
I don't eat ground beef so I substituted ground turkey and it was still absolutely amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you, Casey, I'm so glad you enjoyed your vegetable soup with ground turkey! Cara
This was so yummy exactly as written. I love that I can customize it based on what I have on hand, too though! Perfect for chilly fall dinners.
Thank you for trying the recipe, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it's such a great one to make your own and use up what you have in the fridge. Cara
This soup is so hearty and delicious! I'm definitely going to be making it more often over the winter.
Thank you, Ashley -- yes, it's the perfect winter soup. Enjoy! Cara
THis is a proper winter warmer. We had it with garlic bread and were fighting over the leftovers for lunch next day.
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I've made this recipe several times already. It's one of my favorite go-to weeknight dinners. So good!
Thank you for the nice note, I'm so glad you enjoy it as much as we do! Cara
I make this soup with 1 lg bottle of V8 juice, 1 lg can chopped tomatoes, ground beef, onion, 2 Knorr beef bouillon cubes and froz mixed vegetables, salt/pepper to taste, some garlic and basil ….it’s a winter favorite
Susan, that sounds delicious, thank you so much for sharing your variation!
Cara, I have been making this soup, for over 50 years, ever since I was taught how to make it by my grandmother! Her first lesson was to be adventurous and to try different additions. I think yours is so close to the original recipe she gave me, and it brings great joy to see this soup making a comeback, as well as a lot of good memories from my grandmother' s kitchen.
One successful addition I like to use is free kale, since there is enough starchy veggies already (I have added different potatoes ocassionally, too!).
Aw, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful memories of spending time in the kitchen with your grandmother. I love your suggestion, kale is so delicious in soup! I appreciate your nice note, it was a fun one to read over my morning coffee :). Cara
How much is 1 serving? Trying to add this into a calorie tracker and not sure if 1 serving = 1 cup or what. Thanks!
Hi, great question! One serving is roughly 1 1/2 cups.
Love this soup! I also added potatoes and used a can of Rotel and a half can of the diced tomatoes and it really had a good flavor to eat and wasn’t too hot either. Served it with grilled cheese sandwiches and it was great!
Thank you for sharing
Hi, Lesa, I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup and love that you put your own personal spin on it! And grilled cheese sandwiches sound like a match made in heaven. Thanks for sharing your ideas 🙂 Cara
Added potatoes. Really good. I may consider reducing the tomatoes to half next time. We doubled the recipe and it was a lot of tomatoes. I used petit diced. Really good broth though.
Hi, Brent, Love the addition of potatoes. This is definitely one of those recipes you can easily tweak to your preferences. Thanks for sharing, I'm so glad you enjoyed it :). Cara
I also add high starch russet potato's to this recipe, diced and cooked in the broth to give it a little more texture.
Great addition, Dale! Thanks for sharing :).
Can’t wait to try this
Thanks, Sandy! Enjoy!
I made this today - added some Cajun seasoning, potatoes and used fresh veggies rather than frozen. It was delicious and next time I'll double the recipe so I can freeze a bunch.
I love your adaptations and am so happy to know that you enjoyed it! It's so handy to have a stash of this in the freezer, we do that, too. Thank you so much for your note -- Cara :).
This looks yummy! I’m excited to try it!
Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy it :). Cara