Aunt Joan handed me a ‘care package’ as we were walking out the door after that very first visit. But I had no idea what delight that margarine container held until I opened it the next day.
“It’s nothing fancy,” she used to say. Oh but it was sooo much better than fancy; it was a warm refuge. It was this home cooked Easy Hamburger soup. You can’t get full on fancy anyway…
I also happened to be a starving student at the time and not much of a cook. We had only moved to Calgary and away from my hometown a year earlier. And since home was 1700 km’s away, dropping into Mom & Dad’s for a home cooked meal was no longer an option. I was yearning for home cooking and in serious withdrawal. And wow – that hamburger soup encapsulated every comfort food vibe in existence!
Best of Bridge Hamburger Soup
Joan was my husband’s aunt and when we first moved to Calgary, her and Uncle Harry welcomed us with open arms, regularly having us over for family get-togethers, BBQ’s and holiday dinner celebrations. It was so wonderful to have family to share those special times with. She was also an excellent cook.
Joan was a huge fan of the The Best of Bridge cookbooks. And because of her I made it my mission to collect the entire series. This recipe is adapted from the Best of Bridge but I do a couple of things differently, including using potatoes instead of barley. I prefer potatoes because it’s like hearty meat and potatoes in soup form and therefore the ultimate in comfort food!
Ground Beef Soup
Joan continued to fill us with delicious, non-fancy and nourishing food, as well as sending us home with delightful ‘care packages’ for many years. And eventually I began to make this ground beef soup myself. I love soup with ground beef in it because it just makes soup that much more filling so that it’s an actual meal. My Carrot Soup and Shortcut Borscht are also made with ground beef so they’re soups that are a meal as well!
Easy Hamburger Soup
This Easy Hamburger soup is a simple one-pot, hearty soup made with ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and a delicious tomato broth. I’m all about doing less dishes so being able to make a meal all in one pot is pure gold and another reason I love this soup! If you are looking for a one-pot soup that’s delicious, hearty healthy and economical, then you’ll love this one! It also freezes well so it’s great as leftovers.
Hamburger Soup Recipe
Sadly, Joan passed away over a decade ago. So, in order to honor her memory I continue to cook several of her recipes, like this easy Hamburger Soup recipe and her Turnip & Apple Casserole as well as her Tuna Melts. Because cooking her food is my way of remembering her.
My Amazon Recommendations:
Easy Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs extra lean ground beef
- 1 cup grated carrots * or substitute chopped carrots
- 5 medium potatoes, chopped * I don't peel mine for this soup, but it's optional
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 tbsp beef bouillon
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sticks celery, chopped
- 10 ounce - can of tomato soup
- 1 clove garlic, minced * or use minced garlic from jar equivalent measure
- 28 ounce -can of diced tomatoes (with juice)
- 1 tsp thyme
Instructions
- Cook ground beef and onion in large soup pot over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Drain.
- Add all other ingredients to pot, then add ground beef with onion back to pot. . Simmer covered for 1 hour or until potatoes are cooked through (a fork can easily go through)
- Serve with bread and butter or biscuits.
Notes
Nutrition
This post is part of The Country Cook Weekend Potluck!
What a lovely story about your Aunt Joan, and the recipe sounds delicious. I’m what I call a lazy cook so I, too, am all about doing less dishes and this recipe is right up my alley!
thanks – I hope you enjoy it!
Aunt Joan sounds like a wonderful person and a great cook.
She was – miss her!
What a lovely story – it’s always great when recipes bring back memories, I think, and comfort foods are so often up there. This looks like it would be wonderfully filling and perfect as a hungry student!
thanks, Caroline!
My mom used to make a great hamburger soup and I miss it. So I’ll be making this one SOON!
It’s the first time that I heard of hamburger soup and I’m loving it!
All the goodness in one delicious bowl!
Thank you to your Aunt Joan for being a great aunt and sharing this wonderful soup. It is so nice to have great memories and the family love of food to continue always.
Isn’t that the best?? When you know your way around the kitchen well and someone excites you with their food that they give you or you taste at a gathering. Yay Aunt Joan!
Great for those nights that you just want a soup for dinner.
yes, it’s perfect for those days!