How To Make Yummy Italian Hamburger Soup

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Loaded With Veggies In A Savory Tomato Broth

Two of our favorite soups are hamburger vegetable soup and minestrone, so I decided to create a marriage of the two in this Italian hamburger soup, and we loved it!

A very long time ago, when I was a ridiculously busy business owner and mom, I threw together pot after pot of a soup we called Idiot soup. I know that name is wrong, but blame Peg Bracken, author of the I Hate To Cook cookbook. She started it - with her silly names for speedy recipes, like Shuttemup Cookies.

Peg's humor and creativity inspired me, and I would chuckle as I read her cookbook like a novel over breakfast. It is irreverent, hilarious, and a great snapshot of mid-century America when women began stepping out into the workforce and could be honest about their lack of interest in cooking. You can still buy her cookbook!

I never lost my love for cooking, but she sure gave me some great ideas about how to speed things up! By the way, Idiot Soup is one or two pounds of seasoned, browned, and crumbled hamburger, three undrained cans of mixed vegetables, and a bottle of V8 juice. It's not bad; it's pretty good, actually, and anyone can make it.

Thus, I was inspired to use V8 juice as a base for my newly hatched Italian Hamburger soup recipe. We always use V8 in chili because there are so many different vegetable juices; it adds unbeatable flavor and nutrition to boot!

Why You'll Love Italian Hamburger Soup

You'll love it because it's quick and easy to make; you can vary it depending on what you have in the cupboard, freezer, and fridge, and it's quick, hearty, and makes a big batch. That's awesome because it reheats tastily!

How To Make Italian Hamburger Soup

Begin by browning and crumbling two pounds of hamburger with one medium chopped onion, three cloves of garlic, and a little olive oil. Fresh is always best, but if you need to use instant minced onion and garlic from a jar or powdered garlic, it's all good. Use your judgment to drain any excess fat.

Add a 46-ounce bottle of V8 juice, four large cubes of Knorr vegetable Bouillon or about 1/4 cup of Knorr Vegetable Flavor Base, and two quarts of water.

I'm very loyal to my favorite brands, but there are other vegetable bouillon brands like Better Than Bouillon that you can use to make two quarts of vegetable broth.

Add about two cups each of chopped celery, carrots, potatoes, sugar, and the Italian seasoning, and let them simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Now add about a cup of frozen corn, one small sliced zucchini, a can of undrained green beans, and two cups or more of spinach. I happened to have some frozen spinach tucked away, which also worked fine. Let that simmer for a little longer and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add or leave out vegetables according to your preference and what you have on hand. For example, you could probably use pasta in place of potatoes.

Let it simmer until the veggies are all cooked and you can't stand to wait any longer, then ladle it into bowls or mugs and throw on a handful of shredded Parmesan cheese for good measure!

As I waited impatiently for the soup to be ready, I spotted half of a baguette from last night's dinner on the counter and decided to make some croutons for our new soup.

I melted two tablespoons of butter with about the same amount of olive oil in a skillet and cut the bread into cubes about an inch big. I tossed them into the skillet and stirred them over medium-high heat as they toasted and absorbed all the butter and olive oil.

As they cooked, I liberally sprinkled Alessi Dipping spices for olive oil over them. Sorry, I did not measure, but I estimate it was about two teaspoons or more. All I can say is wow! What a great way to top our new Italian hamburger soup!

Winter is here in most of the country, and we get to choose how we'll deal with it. Maybe it's my Nordic genes, but me? I accept it as a blessed opportunity to get to some things I can't find time for during the rest of the year, whether organizing a closet, learning something new, or inventing a different soup!

Watch in the coming weeks because this month, I'm going to go deeper into learning about sourdough baking and how it can help improve our gut health. I'm excited to share what I learn with you here!

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Yield: 15 servings

Italian Hambuger Soup

Print

A hearty tomato-based hamburger and vegetable soup with an Italian flavor profile.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• One medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• One 14.5-ounce can green beans, undrained
• One small zucchini, sliced
• 2 cups spinach, fresh or frozen
• One 46-ounce bottle of V8 vegetable juice
• 1/4 cup Knorr Vegetable Flavor Base OR 4 large cubes of their vegetable bouillon
• 2 quarts water
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Croutons for garnish, optional
• Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Brown and crumble the hamburger with olive oil, onion, and garlic.
2. Add V8 juice, water, vegetable bouillon, or a flavor base.
3. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, green beans, Italian seasoning, and sugar, then simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender.
4. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about ten more minutes.
5. ladle into bowl or mugs and garnish with croutons or shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Soup makes such a wonderful meal on a cold, dark evening! It makes the world seem brighter, doesn't it?

If you liked this recipe, you are my people! If you like this recipe, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter! It would sure tickle me, and I would be ever so grateful!

If you haven't already, please look for me on Facebook and Pinterest, where I will share easy, delicious, family-friendly recipes every week!

Love, GB (Betty Streff)

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