So Easy Hamburger Soup

4.50 from 6 votes

So Easy Hamburger Soup is a delicious meal made in the crock pot. Warm and flavorful, this recipe will be a fast favorite at your house. Loaded with hamburger, pasta shells and beef broth, this winter soup is warm and perfect for those cold days.

Hamburger soup in a blue bowl with shells, hamburger, carrots and tomatoes.

This So Easy Hamburger Soup was thrown together last minute while I was cold, in a hurry and to be completely honest, the tail end of the shopping cycle. My pantry was looking a little bare and my hungry crew would want something to eat.

You wanna know what was even better? Everyone LOVED it! It tasted great and it was extremely frugal. F.R.U.G.A.L. I think it cost our family less than $4 dollars to make and it fed our family of six not only supper, but a few of us had it for leftovers the next day. If you need a simple side dish bread recipe to go with it, these Bread Machine Dinner Rolls are so good!

Crock pot hamburger soup

I made it in the crock pot (of course!) but you can cook it on the stove (see FAQ below). I love the whole dump the ingredients in and walk away concept. (Which I am sure you gathered from our taco soup and Spicy Sausage Soup!)

Do you have a crock pot at home? I was talking with someone who left a comment on a Facebook post who did not have a crock pot. Do me a favor, will ya?

If you don't have a crock pot you should get one. I use my crock pot a few times a week. Without question. (Ask my family.) Here are a few ideas for a crock pot. There are programmable ones and simple ones. I personally go for the middle of the road slow cookers.

Variations

Bowl of hamburger soup with shells in a blue bowl with tomatoes and carrots.

There are a few ways to add variety to this soup. My family isn't the biggest fan of vegetables so I tailor this to fit their tastes.

However, if you would like to add a few more veggies, you could certainly add corn or green beans to it. We do sometimes add the corn to the recipe.

Also, if you cook venison, you could replace the ground beef with ground venison. The combination of flavors would compliment the venison well.

This is hamburger soup with pasta. Some hamburger soup recipes you see won't have pasta in them, but I like the heartiness it brings to the dish.

I prefer to use shells but macaroni noodles would work as well.

The process

ground beef cooking in a frying pan. — Hamburger soup with pasta starts with cooked hamburger.

First, start by cooking the hamburger until no longer pink, adding salt and pepper while cooking. When finished, add to the crock pot.

Then, in the crock pot, add in the chopped carrots and onion, beef broth, water, tomato sauce and tomatoes.

chopped carrots and onions on a white cutting board. — Chopped veggies ready to be put into this hamburger soup recipe.

Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 6-7.

FAQ and Tips

Okay, so when do I add the pasta?

Good question. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add 2 cups of dried pasta shells to the soup. Stir and let the crock pot do its thing.

Will leftovers keep?

Yes! In fact, I think it tastes just as good if not better the next day. The flavors sit and mingle together all night. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

How do I make this soup on the stove?

Cook the hamburger as stated above, then add all the ingredients to a large pot. Cook on medium heat for 1 hour, adding the noodles about 10-15 minutes before serving. Cooking the soup on the stove, you may need to add 1-2 cups of water, depending if some of the liquid evaporated out.

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