Flavourful and filling, Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup is loaded with ground beef, vegetables, tomatoes and pasta in a savoury broth. Everything simmers away in the slow cooker until the vegetables are tender and the flavours have had plenty of time to mingle.
Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup
This hearty soup is an easy one to get going earlier in the day and leave to simmer until dinner. Ground beef, carrots, celery, tomatoes and seasonings cook low and slow, creating a flavourful broth and tender vegetables.
Pasta makes it a little more substantial, but instead of cooking it in the slow cooker, we cook ours separately and add it directly to each bowl. This keeps the pasta from getting too soft or soaking up all that delicious broth, especially when there are leftovers.
Finish each bowl with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. Pecorino is saltier and a little sharper, so a little goes a long way. Crouton crumbles add a nice bit of crunch on top.
Substitutions & Variations
Swap the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken if that’s what you have on hand.
Use another small pasta in place of macaroni. Smaller shapes are best because they’re easy to pick up with the beef and vegetables in each spoonful.
Add extra vegetables such as diced zucchini, green beans or corn. Keep in mind that softer vegetables such as zucchini won’t need the full cooking time and are best added later. For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when you add the seasonings.
Storing Leftovers
Allow leftover soup to cool before transferring it to an airtight container and refrigerating.
Keep leftover cooked pasta in a separate container and add it to the soup as you reheat individual portions. This prevents the pasta from absorbing the broth overnight and becoming mushy.
Reheat the soup gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot, then add the cooked pasta.
Yes, you can freeze this soup. Freeze without the pasta for better texture.
More Ways to Finish your Bowl
Parmesan and croutons are our go-to toppings, but you can change things up depending on what you have available. Try freshly cracked black pepper, chopped parsley or basil, sliced green onions, red pepper flakes or an extra drizzle of good olive oil.
And don’t underestimate those crouton crumbles. Crush a few croutons over the top and they soak up just enough broth while still giving the soup a little crunch.
Tips & Tricks
- Brown the ground beef and onion before adding them to the slow cooker. Besides cooking the beef, this adds more flavour than simply adding raw ground beef to the crockpot.
- Cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls when serving. Pasta left sitting in soup continues to absorb the broth and becomes soft, particularly with leftovers.
- Taste before adding extra salt. The onion soup mix, soy sauce and Parmesan all bring saltiness to the soup.
Keep the slow cooker going with a few more easy meals
Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Soup
Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Stew
Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
Slow Cooker Mulled Cider
If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram and comment below!
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1-2 cup macaroni or any small pasta, cooked & drained
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese or more
- 1/2 cup croutons
Instructions
- In a skillet cook beef and onion over medium high heat until beef is browned.
- Add mixture to slow cooker with celery, carrots, pepper, oregano, basil, salt, soup mix, water, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Cook low and slow for up to 8 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.
- When ready to eat, put a spoonful of the cooked pasta into soup bowls and ladle hot soup over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and croutons or fresh basil.
This was DELICIOUS. Thank you!
Loved everything about this soup. I added extra vegetables too!