Description
Garden hamburger soup blends classic comfort with nutritious vegetables in a robust one-pot meal. Fresh ingredients and simple seasonings create a nourishing dinner you’ll crave during cool evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 lbs (2.27 kg) lean ground beef
- 8 cups (1.9 L) beef broth
- 6 cups (1.4 L) tomato juice
- 6 cups (1.4 L) crushed or diced tomatoes
- 3 cups (0.7 L) potatoes, cubed
- 6 cups (1.4 L) assorted garden vegetables, chopped (e.g., carrots, peas, green beans)
- 1 ½ cups (0.35 L) chopped celery
- 1 ½ cups (0.35 L) diced onion
- 2 tsps salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Meat Preparation: Brown ground beef in a large pot, thoroughly draining excess fat to create a rich, concentrated base for the soup.
- Vegetable Integration: Incorporate diced onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into the browned meat, sautéing until vegetables begin to soften and release their aromatic essence.
- Seasoning Blend: Sprinkle salt, pepper, dried thyme, and garlic powder, stirring to distribute herbs evenly and build a complex flavor profile throughout the mixture.
- Liquid Foundation: Pour beef broth, tomato juice, and crushed tomatoes into the pot, bringing the entire mixture to a rolling boil before reducing heat to a gentle, consistent simmer.
- Simmering Process: Allow soup to simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, permitting vegetables to tenderize and flavors to meld into a harmonious, robust composition.
- Final Touches: Adjust seasoning to taste, ensuring balanced flavor and desired consistency before removing from heat and preparing for serving or preservation.
- Preservation Method: If canning, sterilize glass jars, carefully ladle hot soup, wipe jar rims, secure lids, and process in a pressure canner according to standard food safety guidelines.
Notes
- Prevent Bacterial Growth: Thoroughly sanitize all canning equipment, including glass jars and utensils, to eliminate potential contamination risks during preservation.
- Beef Preparation Technique: Brown ground beef completely to develop rich flavor, carefully draining excess fat for a leaner, more concentrated taste profile.
- Vegetable Seasoning Strategy: Layer herbs and spices generously while sautéing vegetables to maximize depth and complexity of the soup’s overall flavor.
- Pressure Canning Precision: Follow manufacturer’s exact processing guidelines for time and pressure, accounting for jar size and local altitude to guarantee food safety and optimal preservation quality.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg