User's avatarGrace Bish

Hamburger Soup

NYT Cooking

Yield6 servings
Recipe of Hamburger Soup by Grace Bish

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 pound ground beef (preferably 10 percent fat)
  • 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 large celery stalks, diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups low-sodium beef stock or broth
  • 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 12 ounces russet or Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 medium russet or 3 to 4 medium Yukon gold), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 3 cups chopped mixed vegetables, such as green beans, corn, peas and carrots, frozen (unthawed) or fresh (see Tip)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)
  • Chopped parsley, for serving (optional)

Steps

  1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add ground beef, onion and celery. Cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles and stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add tomato paste, stirring until it coats everything; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, stock, Italian seasoning, 1½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix until combined, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits.
  3. Stir in potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add chopped vegetables, stirring until combined. Make sure potatoes and vegetables are submerged, partially cover the pot, return to a simmer and cook until they’re tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
  4. Taste soup, season with Worcestershire sauce, if using, and more salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley, if using.
  5. Tip A bag of mixed frozen vegetables is perfect here, as it significantly cuts down on prep time. Don’t thaw them; simply add to the soup from frozen. It’ll take a minute or two to return to a simmer, but adding them this way ensures maximum crispness. If using fresh veggies, you’ll need an extra 10 to 15 minutes for prep and a few more minutes of simmering to soften them. Peel and finely dice carrots, and stem and chop green beans into ½-inch pieces.