Italian Hamburger Soup

Baby it’s cold outside! I mean Brrrr! Winter has finally arrived here in Kansas City and well call me crazy but I love it! Even though I love getting all bundled up in mittens and sweaters and scarves, I still can get chilled to the bone.  Nothing warms your body and soul like a big steaming hot bowl of homemade soup!  Italian Hamburger Soup is just want you need to keep Jack Frost at bay.

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If your family is anything like mine Italian is one of our favorite.  We love the garlic, tomatoes and oregano.  If you love these too then Italian Hamburger Soup is for you.  So easy to make on a busy weeknight and perfect for a lazy saturday afternoon.  I know your family loves a good bowl of soup after a day out in the cold.  You can make this for dinner tonight in about 30 min!

One of the best reasons for making homemade soup is that you control the sodium that goes into the pot.  Store bought soups are most often very high in sodium.  When you use herbs and seasoning just right you don’t really need a lot of salt.

This Italian Hamburger Soup has oregano, marjoram, garlic and onion powders.  I never use garlic or onion salt, just the powder.  I also only use kosher salt or sea salt.  You get more flavor in less amounts.

If you struggle to get your kids to eat veggies then this is a great way to sneak some in.  You can add zucchini, green beans or peas.   I usually make this with zucchini, but they are hard to find in January.  The longer you saute or simmer the vegetable the sweeter they will become, helping to ensure your little ones won’t notice.

Perfect for busy weeknights as you don’t have to simmer this soup long.  There is enough flavor that it all comes through very quickly.  Like most Italian food it does get a deeper flavor the next day.  Depending on how large or how hungry your family is there just might not be any to save for the next day.

Serve this with a nice crusty Rustic Bread and you have the perfect warm me up on a cold day bowl of soup!

What is your favorite Soup to make?  It’s so fun to know what you like! It helps me create more recipes that will bring you back time and time again.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of ground hamburger
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 1 cup of carrots diced {or I use the matchstick that you can buy ready to use}
• 1 tbsp each of oregano and marjoram
• 1 tsp each of salt, garlic and onion powders
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 32 oz of chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 can of red beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of any small shaped pasta {I used ditalini}

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot over medium high heat add 2 tbs olive oil
2. saute the onions, celery and carrots until slightly softened {about 3-5 min}
3. add in the ground beef and brown {you can skim the fat off as it cooks}
4. stir in all the spices
5. add the rest of the ingredients
6. bring to a boil
7. reduce heat to a simmer for 20 min
8. serve right from the stock pot