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    Home » Main Course » Beef Recipes

    Zesty Hamburger Soup

    Published: Oct 20, 2012 · Modified: Jan 24, 2022 by Kim Beaulieu · This post may contain affiliate links

    19.9K shares
    • 431
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Slow Cooker Zesty Hamburger Soup that is super easy to make, and packs a ton of flavour. Perfect for a busy day where you want to set it and forget it!

    Slow Cooker Zesty Hamburger Soup | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #soup #dinner

    Hi folks.

    Okay I'm going to be honest with you all. I hesitated to post this. It's so hard to take good photos of soup. So I was unsure this was blog worthy. After much (okay that's a lie, let's say a little) discussion on Facebook with some readers and fellow bloggers I decided to pop this up here. You may be saying "but why Lunie, the photo stinks"... well, it does BUT the recipe does not. So I've overcome my trepidation to post ugly soup photos in order to give you tasty recipes. You're welcome!

    Don't you just want to slap the silly off me some days? It's okay. I'm sillyunstoppable! Slap away!

    So I made Hamburger Soup awhile back. Oddly that photo is better than this one even though I have a better camera now. Just goes to show it's not the camera, it's how you use it. Apparently I've lost my photo-mojo. Don't panic though, I'm determined to fit in some time this week to read up how to improve my pics and quite possibly my attitude. Okay that's another lie, my 'tude will never change. But here's hoping my photos do!

    The last time I made this I followed a recipe which used some processed ingredients. Now I'm not saying I'll never use processed ingredients again, but I am trying to cut back a bit on them since they tend to upset my IBS. I really liked the last recipe though, so I just tried to make it taste similar while eliminating the packaged stuff. I also wanted to give it a slightly Italian taste. So I amped up the spice a bit. This turned out great and I really enjoyed it. But again, I'm going to be really honest with you, it's still not perfect. I want to play around with it some more and see if I can take it from great to stupendous. And that's a tall order cuz how often do you hear someone come to a blog or food site and say "that's stupendous" right. Never happens. I'm setting forth that challenge for myself right now. I WILL make this better and make at least one of you come by and say you tried it and it was "stupendous". You heard it here first people. I'm bringing stupendous back. Or stupid. Maybe I'm confused. It could be all the drugs from the trip. I should probably check out dictionary.com right. Meh, nah, stupendous challenge is on. Bring it!

    Slow Cooker Zesty Hamburger Soup | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #soup #dinner

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    4.50 from 8 votes

    Zesty Hamburger Soup for Slow Cooker Saturdays

    An easy recipe to make Hamburger Soup in your slow cooker.
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 6 hours hours
    Total Time 6 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ pounds of ground beef
    • 3 to 4 carrots chopped
    • 3 to 4 celery stalks chopped
    • 1 large shallot chopped
    • 4 to 5 cloves of garlic pressed
    • 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
    • 1 24 oz can tomato sauce, you can reduce to 14 oz if you like
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 4 cups beef broth I used 4 cups of water to 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Veggie Base
    • Salt and Pepper to taste I leave out pepper since I don't like it
    • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
    • 2 tablespoons dried basil
    • 3 cups of cooked noodles I like Farfalle but any would work
    • Optional: ½ to ¾ cup parmesan cheese

    Instructions

    • Brown your ground beef in a pan on the stove.
    • Add your cooked ground beef, carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, tomatoes, pasta sauce, brown sugar and beef broth into the slow cooker. Turn on low.
    • Give it a good stir, then add your salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Place lid on top and cook over low heat for about 6 to 8 hours depending on the size of your slow cooker. I always recommend checking it at the lowest time and make adjustments from there. If it needs more water during the cooking process or more seasoning you can adjust here and there as it cooks.
    • When it's about an hour from finishing, put on a large pot of water and bring to a boil for the noodles. Drop them in once boiling and cook for time stated on package. I usually shave off about a minute since they continue to cook after.
    • Don't rinse them, just lift them out with a large slotted spoon or ladle and place them in slow cooker. Mix it all up and add a little pasta water, about ¼ to ½ cup and mix again. If you want parmesan add that now too. Let it cook together for about 20 minutes while you set the table or change into comfy clothes.
    • Serve with a big old "this would not make a good photo" smile.

    Notes

    Make sure you adjust the time depending on the size of your slow cooker. Start checking in around 4 to 5 hours the first time to be sure.

    Slow Cooker Zesty Hamburger Soup | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #soup #dinner

    Freaking tastes great. Not stupendous, but definitely getting closer.

    Now tomorrow is a different story altogether. I have been promising you all fudge for days and taunting you with the recipe for about a week. Finally its hitting you tomorrow. Right smack in your stupendous face. Hope you all like it. Fudge is my nemesis. It's also my kryptonite. I have no idea how it can be both, but it is. There are times I make it and its sheer perfection right out of the gate. Then there are times I make it and it seriously kicks my butt in a big way. I also have really high standards for my fudge. I want perfection and I'll make ten thousand bazillion gazillion batches to get it right. Which usually leads to ten thousand bazillion gazillion pounds added to my butt it kicked. But it's worth it to get that close to having someone say "stupendous fudge dude". Like anyone ever uses the word stupendous. Or dude. Seriously, someone send me a Webster's Dictionary. I need help!

    Monster Fudge, pictured below:

    Monster Fudge | Cravings of a Lunatic | #chocolate #fudge #candy #sweets #halloween

    Other Slow Cooker Recipes by Cravings of a Lunatic:

    Manly Meaty Chili, pictured below:

    Manly Meaty Chili | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #chili #gameday #footballfood #dinner

    Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup, pictured below:

    Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #lasagna #pasta #dinner

    Hawaiian Pulled Pork, pictured below:

    Hawaiian Pulled Pork | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #pulledpork #pork #dinner

    Spicy Nuts, pictured below:

    Slow Cooker Spicy Nuts | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #nuts #snacks #partyfood #tailgate

    Slow Cooker Taco Seasoned Pretzels, pictured below:

    Taco Pretzels | Cravings of a Lunatic | #slowcooker #pretzels #snacks #tailgate

    Toodles and smoochies! xx

     

    « Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream
    Monster Fudge, and a big Thank You! »
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    This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kate from Scratch

      October 22, 2012 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      This sounds magnificent, Kim! I love slow cooker recipes, especially for this time of year. This recipe looks fantastic!

      Reply
      • Kim Bee

        October 26, 2012 at 1:03 am

        Thanks Kate. I love using my slow cooker. It's the perfect time of year for them.

        Reply
    2. Colette @ JFF!

      October 22, 2012 at 2:14 pm

      SO yummy, esp now that the weather's cooling off.

      Reply
      • Kim Bee

        October 26, 2012 at 1:04 am

        Thanks Colette. I love mine this time of year.

        Reply
    3. Rachel

      October 22, 2012 at 3:25 pm

      Wow! This is awesome! Even though it is still in the 80s here, my cravings for soup are increasing. This just got added to the recipe list! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kim Bee

        October 26, 2012 at 1:06 am

        Thanks Rachel. I love a good hearty soup. It's been warm here the last couple of days. Loving it.

        Reply
    4. Vijitha

      October 23, 2012 at 12:16 pm

      I call this one pot wonder. I enjoy meals these, easy to fix and fills you up. This is my first here and I am loving your blog. I will be back for more recipes.

      Reply
      • Kim Bee

        October 26, 2012 at 1:09 am

        Good name for it. I am a big fan of easy. It's what I most enjoy. So glad you found me.

        Reply
    5. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com

      October 24, 2012 at 10:21 pm

      Hamburger soup?!? Oh my!!

      Reply
      • Kim Bee

        October 26, 2012 at 1:10 am

        Thanks Kiran.

        Reply
    6. Jen

      February 09, 2013 at 9:35 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for supper today and it was really, really good. It was a great post-run meal. I will definitely make it again. My husband and two out of three children liked it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
    7. Angela

      September 09, 2014 at 2:58 pm

      Can you tell me how much tomato sauce? Would it be an 8 oz. can or 14oz.? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kim Beaulieu

        September 09, 2014 at 9:18 pm

        I'll edit that in and thanks for noticing it was missing. I actually use a big one. It's 24 oz/1 lb 8 oz/680 grams. You can use tomato sauce or pasta sauce. You can totally reduce the amount if you like. The 14 oz would work wonderfully.

        Reply
    8. Kat

      January 26, 2015 at 7:01 am

      Honestly it was the photo that made me stop and go "Oh my, I wish I had a bowl of THAT right now!" I can't wait to try this recipe! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kim Beaulieu

        January 27, 2015 at 12:05 am

        Yeah, I can't hear that enough. Especially with older posts where I think the photos stink. So thanks for note. Feel free to jazz it up some more with spices if you like spicy food. I always err on the side of caution because some folks tolerance is lower than what ours is here.

        Reply
    9. Jayne Rossi-Elliott

      May 20, 2015 at 10:09 am

      I made this delicious soup last night! Awesome - definitely a keeper! The only change I made was putting the uncooked Farfalle in 45 minutes before the soup was done. Worked perfectly! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

      Reply
      • Kim Beaulieu

        May 22, 2015 at 12:32 am

        I am so thrilled you liked it. That is so nice to hear. This is just one of those recipes I love to make time & time again. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, it's much appreciated.

        Reply
    10. Jami

      March 31, 2016 at 11:54 am

      This looks so good!! I am making it right now in my slow cooker just with ground turkey instead of beef. 🙂

      I seen in the comments that you have IBS/diverticulosis. I know what you are going through. I'm 23 and I've had IBS and Crohn's Disease since about age 19. I had surgery for it a year ago. Doing a lot better now, but I still have the occasional flare. I find it hard incorporating veggies in my diet because raw veggies can be hard for people like us to digest! This is a great way to incorporate all kinds of cooked veggies!

      Thanks for sharing the recipe and hope you're doing well!!

      Reply
      • Kim Beaulieu

        April 01, 2016 at 6:17 pm

        Thanks for commenting Jami.

        I'm so sorry to hear you have Crohn's, that's a tough disease to handle. Good for you for managing it the way you do. It's not an easy task. It's really hard to eat raw veggies with these illnesses. I tend to avoid salad like the plague. The darker the greens the more it hurts. I was tested again last year and my response to stimuli is insanely high. The spasms start as soon as anything rubs or touches as it moves through my colon. It drives me crazy, I'd love to just be normal. But in the grand scheme of things I'm lucky. I work from home so that eases a lot of pressure. Until I travel. I'm going away next weekend and I'm already worried about it. Crossing the border, flying and cab rides are all highly stressful so it's going to be an interesting weekend. Hopefully once I get there things go smoothly. I'm really looking forward to going, it's for a weekend photography class. I'm hoping it's worth all the stress. Lol.

        Thanks for taking the time to leave a note. It's always nice to chat with other people who are living with similar issues. Makes me feel more normal.

        Reply
    11. Roxie

      February 21, 2018 at 1:39 pm

      I just stumbled upon this soup and blog! I don't know if the soup is stupendous or not but intend to find out tonight! However, with that being said, I find your personality and 'tude to be absolutely stupendous! Thanks for being so open and real!

      Reply
    12. Sam

      February 20, 2019 at 3:39 am

      How many servings is your zesty hamburger soup. I'm making some in a big roaster. Trying to serving 25 people

      Reply
      • Kim Beaulieu

        May 21, 2019 at 3:00 pm

        Hi Sam. It should feed 8 to 10. Sorry for the delayed response. I've been off work for some time.

        Reply
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