Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup

This slow cooker hamburger soup is the dinner that goes in the pot in the morning and makes the whole house smell like someone has been cooking all day. Ground beef, potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, diced tomatoes, and Lipton Onion Soup Mix all go into the slow cooker together and come out as a thick, hearty, deeply flavored soup that tastes like it took real effort. Brown the beef first, dump everything in, set it and walk away. My littles love this one and it makes enough for leftovers the next day which is always a bonus in this house.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Minimal prep and the slow cooker handles everything from there. This is the definition of a set-it-and-forget-it dinner.
• The Lipton Onion Soup Mix does a significant amount of the seasoning work all on its own. One packet and the broth is already deeply flavored before you add a single extra spice.
• Frozen mixed vegetables go in straight from the bag with zero prep which means the hardest part of this recipe is dicing the potatoes and onion.
• This makes a generous batch that reheats beautifully all week making it one of the best meal prep soups for a busy fall or winter week.

Ingredients Needed To Make Hamburger Soup

The Soup Base

Ground beef browned and drained before going in adds a rich, deeply savory meat base without any excess grease floating in the finished soup. Diced yellow potatoes add heartiness and body. Diced onion adds aromatic depth that develops during the long slow cook. Frozen mixed vegetables go in straight from the bag and cook perfectly during the low and slow simmer.

The Broth and Seasoning

Diced tomatoes add a slightly acidic, slightly sweet tomato element throughout. Tomato paste adds concentrated richness and helps thicken the broth slightly. Beef broth is the liquid base. Worcestershire sauce adds a savory, slightly fermented depth. Lipton Onion Soup Mix is the seasoning that ties everything together with a bold, deeply savory onion flavor that makes this soup taste specifically like something your grandma used to make.

How to Make Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup

Step 1: Brown the Beef

Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until fully browned. Drain the excess fat before adding to the slow cooker.

Step 2: Load the Slow Cooker

Add the browned beef, diced onion, frozen vegetables, potatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and onion soup mix. Stir until everything is combined.

Step 3: Cook

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours until the potatoes are completely tender.

Step 4: Serve

Stir well, taste, and serve warm directly from the slow cooker.

Variations

• Add pasta: stir in a cup of small pasta like ditalini or elbow macaroni in the last 30 minutes of cooking for a heartier, more filling result.
• Make it spicier: add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce with the other ingredients for a little heat throughout.
• Swap the protein: ground turkey or ground chicken works in place of ground beef for a lighter version with the same easy method.
• Add more vegetables: diced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, or a handful of spinach stirred in during the last 30 minutes all work well without changing the cook time significantly.
• Make it thicker: stir a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of cold water into the soup during the last 30 minutes of cooking for a slightly thicker, heartier consistency.

Storing and Reheating

Store in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The potatoes and vegetables continue absorbing broth as the soup sits and it will be thicker the next day. Add a splash of beef broth when reheating and stir over medium-low heat or microwave on medium power in 60-second intervals. This soup also freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe containers.

How to Serve Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup

Serve in deep bowls with warm crusty bread or buttery dinner rolls alongside for dunking into the broth. A sprinkle of shredded cheddar over the top adds a melty, slightly sharp finish that pairs really well with the savory beef and vegetable base. For another easy slow cooker dinner the whole family will love, this Dump and Bake Kielbasa, Broccoli and Tortellini makes a great weeknight rotation alongside this one.

Why brown the beef before adding it to the slow cooker?

Browning the beef in a skillet first does two things. It develops a caramelized, deeply savory flavor on the surface of the meat through the Maillard reaction that slow cooking alone cannot produce. And it allows you to drain the excess fat before it goes into the soup which keeps the finished broth clean and flavorful rather than greasy. It takes about 7 minutes and makes a noticeable difference in the finished soup.

Can I use fresh vegetables instead of frozen?

Yes. Fresh diced carrots, green beans cut into pieces, and corn cut from the cob all work in the same amounts. Add them at the same time as the frozen vegetables. Fresh vegetables may hold their texture slightly better than frozen over the long cook but both produce a great finished soup.

Do I need to thaw the frozen vegetables first?

No. Frozen vegetables go directly from the bag into the slow cooker without thawing. They’ll defrost and cook through completely during the 4 to 5 hour low cook. Adding them frozen actually helps prevent them from becoming too soft during the long cook time.

Can I use a different soup mix instead of Lipton?

Yes. Any onion-based soup or seasoning mix works in the same amount. Lipton is specifically recommended because it’s widely available and produces a consistently bold, deeply seasoned broth with no extra work. If you don’t have it on hand a combination of extra beef broth, garlic powder, onion powder, and a bay leaf produces a similar flavor profile with a little more manual seasoning.

Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup

This slow cooker hamburger soup combines ground beef, potatoes, mixed vegetables, diced tomatoes, and Lipton onion soup mix in one slow cooker for a hearty easy weeknight dinner that practically makes itself.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Servings: 6

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables I used corn, peas, carrots, and green beans
• 2 cups yellow potatoes diced
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix 1 oz

Method

 

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain any excess fat if necessary.
2. Dice the potatoes and onion.
3. Add the ground beef, potatoes, onion, frozen mixed vegetables, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and onion soup mix to your slow cooker.
4. Stir everything together until well combined.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours or LOW for 4–5 hours.
6. The soup is ready when the potatoes are nice and tender.
7. Stir, serve warm, and enjoy!

Notes

• Cut the potatoes into even uniform pieces so they all finish cooking at the same time. Uneven chunks mean some will be mushy while others are still firm.
• The Lipton Onion Soup Mix does a lot of the seasoning work here so taste before adding any extra salt. It’s already quite well seasoned between the mix, the Worcestershire, and the beef broth.
• Browning the beef before it goes into the slow cooker is worth the extra pan. It adds a depth of flavor and removes excess grease that would otherwise sit in the soup throughout the cook.
• This soup thickens as it sits. Add a splash of beef broth when reheating if it has gotten thicker than you like overnight.