We love this time of year for two reasons: 1) wearing cozy knitted sweaters and 2) eating soothing, heartwarming soups! The soups are especially a favorite because they’re so fun and easy to make… Most of the time, all you have to do is throw everything in the pot and get creative with the ingredients while you’re at it.

Trust us – after coming home from a brisk day outside, there is nothing more comforting than a hearty and healthy soup. It’s a recipe your whole family will love. Below you can find the original hamburger vegetable soup recipe along with vegetarian-friendly options (that still feel hearty).

How to Make Hearty and Healthy One-Pot Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Here’s a list of all the ingredients you will need:

• 3 cups water
• Himalayan pink salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• ¾ pound extra lean ground beef (organic, grass-fed)*
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (peeled)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced potato
• 1 cup organic corn kernels
• 2 cups diced organic green beans
• 3 ½ cups diced organic tomatoes
• ¼ dried basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (if vegan, use tamari or Bragg’s liquid aminos)

Add more of a kick to your soup with any combination of these spices:

• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

* Want to make this soup recipe vegetarian? Substitute the meat entirely with ‘meaty’ vegetables like diced portobello mushrooms (4 caps), chopped cauliflower (1 head), chopped butternut squash (1-2). You can also try adding ground tempeh (2-4 cups).

Now all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Coat the bottom of your large pot in olive oil, bring it to medium-high heat and add in the ground beef (or ground tempeh), onions, and celery (you can also add in any spices you would like at this point)
2. Cook until the protein is browned and vegetables start to soften or turn translucent
3. Add in the remaining ingredients – water, potato, carrots, corn, green beans, tomatoes, basil, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper (to taste) – and cook until the soup comes to a boil, stirring occasionally
4. Reduce heat to a simmer, then cover the pot for at least 45 minutes
5. Serve and enjoy!

We don’t expect this soup to last through the night but if it does, it’s even more flavorful the next day! So, if you want to make it the night before, that may not be such a bad idea.

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