Hamburger Soup (Keto, No Potatoes, 6.2g Net Carbs)
- Total time
- 1 hour
- Makes
- 12 servings
- Net carbs
- 6.2g
- Calories
- 212
Hamburger soup is the soup a lot of us grew up on. A pound or two of ground beef, whatever vegetables were in the crisper drawer, a can of tomatoes and a pot of beef broth. It is cheap, it feeds a crowd, and it tastes even better the next day.
The classic version gets most of its carbs from diced potatoes, and some families add macaroni on top of that. This one keeps everything else and swaps the potatoes for turnips. They soak up the beefy tomato broth the same way, they hold their shape, and a big bowl comes to 6.2g net carbs. The pot makes 12 servings in an hour, most of it hands-off.
I will admit my first turnip batch was a letdown. I cut the turnips into big chunks, the way you would cut potatoes for stew, and pulled the pot off the heat after 15 minutes. The beef was perfect and the turnips were still hard and sharp in the middle. Half-inch cubes and a full 30 minutes of simmering fixed it. Cooked through, turnips lose that raw bite and turn mild, a little sweet and soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Why This Keto Hamburger Soup Works
Turnips stand in for the potatoes. They are the closest low-carb match in a brothy soup: pale, tender cubes that take on the flavor of whatever they cook in. Two cups add only about 1g of net carbs to each bowl.
A whole can of tomato paste gives the broth its body. Six ounces sounds like a lot, but it is what turns six cups of broth and a can of diced tomatoes into a rich, brick-red soup instead of a thin one.
The beef browns with the onion and celery. Cooking them together in one pot builds the base of the soup in about 10 minutes, and the vegetables soften in the beef fat while the meat browns.
Carrots and green beans keep it classic. A cup of each is enough for color and that old-fashioned vegetable soup taste, and they cook in the same 30 minutes as the turnips.
Recipe Overview
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Serves: 12 (about 1⅓ cups each)
- Net Carbs: 6.2g per serving
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
| Ground beef | 2 lb | 85/15 |
| Onion | 1 medium | Chopped |
| Celery | ½ cup | Chopped |
| Garlic | 1 tbsp | Minced, about 3 cloves |
| Tomato paste | 1 can (6 oz) | |
| Beef broth | 6 cups | Low-sodium if you can |
| Diced tomatoes | 1 can (28 oz) | With their juice, do not drain |
| Green beans | 1 cup | Fresh, cut in 1-inch pieces |
| Carrots | 1 cup | Thickly sliced |
| Turnips | 2 cups | Peeled and cut in ½-inch cubes (about 2 medium) |
| Bay leaf | 1 | |
| Seasoned salt | 1 tsp | Or plain salt, more to taste |
Pick small or medium turnips. Big old ones can be woody and more bitter. They should feel heavy and firm, with smooth skin. Peel them with a vegetable peeler, the same way you would peel a potato.
Taste before you add more salt. Broth, canned tomatoes and seasoned salt are all salty already. I add the teaspoon of seasoned salt at the start and only adjust once the soup has finished simmering.
Recipe Timing
| Stage | Time |
| Chop the onion, celery and carrots, cut the green beans, peel and cube the turnips | 15 minutes |
| Brown the beef with the onion and celery | 10 minutes |
| Add everything else and bring to a boil | 5 minutes |
| Simmer until the turnips are tender | 30 minutes |
| Total | 60 minutes |
How to Make Hamburger Soup, Step by Step
1. Prep the vegetables
Chop the onion and celery. Slice the carrots into thick coins and cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces. Peel the turnips and cut them into half-inch cubes. Keep the turnip pieces small and even, so they all turn tender at the same time.
2. Brown the beef with the onion and celery
Put the ground beef, onion and celery in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Break the beef up with a wooden spoon and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until no pink is left and the onion is soft. If more than a couple of tablespoons of fat pool in the pot, spoon some of it off.
3. Add everything else
Stir in the tomato paste until it coats the beef, then add the beef broth, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the green beans, carrots, turnips, garlic, bay leaf and seasoned salt. Turn the heat up and bring the soup to a boil, which takes about 5 minutes.
4. Simmer until the turnips are tender
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Test a turnip cube with the tip of a knife: it should slide in with no resistance. If it still feels firm in the center, give the soup another 5 to 10 minutes.
Fish out the bay leaf. Taste the broth and add more salt if it needs it, then ladle the soup into bowls.
Tips and Variations
- Use radishes instead of turnips. One cup of cubed radishes is what the original low-carb recipe I started from uses. They turn soft and mild in the soup and carry a little fewer carbs than turnips.
- Leave out the carrots. That trims about 0.7g of net carbs from each bowl. The soup loses a little sweetness and color.
- Add more vegetables. Chopped cabbage, zucchini or a diced green bell pepper all fit, added with the turnips.
- Use ground turkey. It is leaner, so there will be no fat to spoon off. Add a pinch more salt, because turkey is milder.
- Make it thicker. Simmer it uncovered for the last 10 minutes so some of the broth cooks off.
What to Serve With Hamburger Soup
A bowl is a full meal on its own, with plenty of protein and vegetables. A crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is all it needs beside it, and a little shredded cheddar or grated Parmesan on top never hurts.
If you like this kind of soup, our beefy keto minestrone is its Italian cousin, with zucchini, cauliflower and red pepper flakes, and it is ready in 25 minutes. When you want big chunks of beef instead of ground beef, our keto beef stew with radishes uses the same trick of a low-carb root vegetable in place of potatoes.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: keep the soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavor gets deeper after a night in the fridge.
Reheat: warm it in a pot over medium heat, or a bowl at a time in the microwave, until it is hot all the way through. Add a splash of broth if it has thickened.
Freezer: freeze it in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat it on the stove. The turnips get a little softer after freezing, but they keep their shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hamburger soup keto?
The classic recipe is not, because of the potatoes, and sometimes macaroni or rice. This version uses turnips in place of the potatoes and has no pasta, so a serving of about 1⅓ cups has 6.2g net carbs.
Do turnips really taste like potatoes?
Not exactly. Raw turnips taste sharp and a little peppery. After 30 minutes in the broth they turn mild and slightly sweet, with a soft texture close to a boiled potato. In a soup this full of beef and tomato, most people never notice.
Should I drain the fat from the beef?
With 85/15 beef, spoon off any fat beyond a couple of tablespoons. A little fat carries flavor into the broth. The nutrition below counts the beef raw and undrained, so draining makes the real numbers a little lower.
Can I use frozen vegetables?
Frozen cut green beans and sliced carrots both work. Add them straight from the bag with the turnips. Frozen vegetables are partly cooked already, so they will be very soft by the end of the simmer.
More Low-Carb Ground Beef Soups and Dinners
- Cheeseburger Soup — ground beef, cauliflower rice and sharp cheddar in a creamy beef broth.
- Stuffed Pepper Soup — ground beef, green and red bell peppers and tomatoes, with cauliflower rice in place of rice.
- Keto Taco Soup — ground beef, cream cheese and diced tomatoes with green chilies, ready in 25 minutes.
- Keto Chili — a no-bean beef chili with tomatoes and red bell pepper, ready in 25 minutes.
- Hamburger Green Bean Casserole — ground beef, green beans and mushrooms in a creamy sauce under melted Colby Jack.
Recipe Card
The full ingredient list and the method in short are in the card below.
Keto Hamburger Soup
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or soup pot
- Wooden spoon
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef 85/15
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced, about 3 cloves
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 6 cups beef broth low-sodium if you can
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with their juice, do not drain
- 1 cup green beans fresh, cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup carrots thickly sliced
- 2 cups turnips peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 medium)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp seasoned salt or plain salt, more to taste
Instructions
- Prep: Chop the onion and celery, slice the carrots, cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces, and peel the turnips and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Brown: Cook the ground beef, onion and celery in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, breaking up the beef, until no pink is left. Spoon off excess fat.
- Boil: Stir in the tomato paste, then add the beef broth, diced tomatoes with their juice, green beans, carrots, turnips, garlic, bay leaf and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil.
- Simmer: Lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes, until a knife slides easily into a turnip cube. Remove the bay leaf, taste, and add more salt if needed.
Notes
Keep cooking
