Hamburger Soup

This easy to prepare soup combines ground beef or turkey with any mix of vegetables you like or have on hand, making it an ideal one-pot meal to use up odds and ends from both your crisper and freezer. The key to unlocking a speedy, fully loaded soup is using frozen, pre-chopped vegetables — just be sure not to thaw them before adding to the broth so they don’t lose their bite. You can use Italian seasoning or a mix of oregano, thyme, and basil. To store, cool completely in the pot before transferring to an airtight container, then refrigerate and enjoy for up to 4days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes: 6 servings
Time to cook: 45 minutes (15 minutes prep, 30 minutes cook time)

Ingredients

· 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

· 1 pound ground beef (preferably 10 percent fat) or ground turkey

· 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)

Cooking Instructions 

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 2minutes.

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.

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.

Nutrition per serving
378 calories; 21 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 7 grams fiber; 5 gram sugar; 1179 milligrams sodium 

Original Recipe by Melissa Knific, NYTimes  

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