Hamburger soup is a quick and easy soup recipe that can be put together with common pantry items. It’s hearty enough to serve for dinner along side a delicious salad or loaf of fresh bread. Hamburger soup is like an economical twist on the classic beef barley soup packed full of vegetables.
So. January. Are you still working on your New Year’s Resolution? No? That’s ok. Baby steps. Get back up and try again. It’s ok if you fail but get back up and try again. They say it takes 21 days to develop a new habit, or to break one. Goals are accomplished in small, bite sized portions so don’t go take on anything too huge or you’ll feel overwhelmed.
One of my goals is to trim the budget – again. Isn’t that always one of the more common goals people have? I find people are either trying to exercise and eat healthy, or pay off debt. But let’s be honest. Life is short. Indulgences should be a part of every person’s life, take chocolate cake for instance – unless you don’t like chocolate cake. Then my question to you is, What the heck is wrong with you??? Joking aside, you are supposed to have fun and enjoy life. And eat chocolate cake. There’s a time and place for everything and as long as you keep your goals top of mind and you’re working towards those goals, a few little blips along the way are going to be what makes life worth living.
Right now I’m trying to ‘eat what’s in my fridge, cupboard and freezer first’ while making my meal plan for the week. Wow, it’s like finding free food only it’s in my house already. That’ll help trim down my food budget this year. Who would have thought I had so much food in there? I may have inherited the food-hoarding gene from my grandmother but I like to have a well-stocked pantry. That is until I start to throw out food because it got tucked at the back for too long. That’s a bummer.
This hamburger soup came together quickly and didn’t cost me a penny because I had everything I needed on hand. I love the texture the barely adds to this soup. This easy recipe could almost be considered a “clean out the fridge” soup, something kinda like my Bolognese Sauce I make. Oh look, it’s the end of the week and these carrots and celery are looking less then stellar to eat but they would be perfect in a big pot of soup.
I’ll consider this delicious Hamburger Soup recipe to be a success with regards to my New Year’s Resolution goals. Not only will my tummy be happy but I feel like I’m one step closer to saving up for my trip to Italy. Cheers!
Easy Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion , minced
- 2 teaspoons garlic , minced
- 4 carrots , sliced
- 3 celery , thinly sliced
- ½ cup barley (or more)
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 6 cups water + 2 cubes beef broth cubes
- Or 6 cups of beef broth
- 1 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
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Heat a large dutch oven (or large soup pot) over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onions to the pot. Cook until the beef is no longer pink, crumbling the beef as it cooks. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute or two, stirring while it cooks.
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Add the chopped carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for an extra 10 minutes or so until the vegetables start to get soft.
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Add in the remaining ingredients and turn the heat up to bring the soup to a boiling. Turn the soup down a bit and allow it to simmer until the vegetables are tender and the barley is cooked and no longer has a bite to it, about 40 minutes.
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Serve immediately or store for lunches on a later date.
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I’ve also been trying to clear out the pantry so this is perfect.
So hard to find a balance between having a well stocked pantry and having too much. Good luck!