It’s chilly mid-March here in upstate NY, and soup season rages on. Last night I made a crowd favorite, hamburger soup. This could easily be a beef and vegetable soup, but instead of a cubed beef, we are swapping in easy ground sirloin. Ground chicken, turkey, or even impossible meat would be easy and delicious swaps for this soup. I use a combination of onion, celery, carrot (the classic French mirepoix!), cubed potato and canned tomatoes, but this is infinitely flexible. Green beans? Corn? Sure! Cauliflower or peas? Yes, please! Let your imagine run wild, and use this opportunity to clean out your fridge and use up any veggies hanging out in the fridge.
This is easily doubled, and leftovers freeze beautifully. The potatoes will soften once frozen and defrosted, yielding a slightly thicker soup. Thin out with additional beef or veggie stock as desired. Enjoy!
easy hamburger soup.
slightly adapted from the pioneer woman.
ingredients
1 pound 95/5 ground sirloin
1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, any color (I used orange), seeded and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-5 small to medium white or red potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch pieces)
14 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
directions
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook beef until cooked through, no longer pink, breaking up as it cooks, 3-5 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrot and cook additional 3-4 minutes until starting to soften. Add the seasonings and allow to bloom (become fragrant while stirring). Add garlic and bell pepper, cook additional minute. Add tomato paste, potatoes and mix to combine for 30 seconds to a minute.
Add diced tomatoes with their juices along with the beef stock. Bring to a boil, stir, and partially cover, reducing heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and potatoes are soft and tender.
Check for seasonings and adjust as needed (mine needed a touch more salt). Serves 4-6.
Keeps well in refrigerator for 3-4 days; frozen for up to three months.
*Please use local ingredients wherever possible*
pass the lemons 