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Best of Bridge Hamburger Soup

This slow cooker version of one of the most popular Bridge recipes of all time is just as easy and just as delicious as the classic. And (sacrilege!) we’ve phased out the can of cream of tomato soup. But not to worry, we’ve also included instructions on doing it the much loved, old-fashioned way if you’d still like to use the  tomato soup. 

Serves 10
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Ingredients
  1. Vegetable oil
  2. 11⁄2 lbs lean ground beef 750 g
  3. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  4. 4 carrots, chopped
  5. 3 celery stalks, chopped
  6. 1 bay leaf
  7. 1⁄2 cup pearl or pot barley 125 mL
  8. 1 tbsp sugar 15 mL
  9. 1 tbsp cornstarch 15 mL
  10. Salt and black pepper to taste
  11. 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) whole tomatoes, with juice
  12. 31⁄2 cups 875 mL ready-to-use or homemade beef broth
  13. 2 cups water 500 mL
  14. 11⁄2 cups tomato sauce 375 mL
  15. 2 tbsp soy sauce 30 mL
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until starting to brown. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beef is browned and onion is softened. Scrape into a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in carrots, celery, bay leaf, barley, sugar, cornstarch, salt, pepper, tomatoes, stock, water, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Discard bay leaf.
Notes
  1. Tip: Hamburger soup freezes like a dream! If you’re serving a family of 4 or 5, let half the soup cool after cooking and ladle it into a freezer bag. Pull it out of the freezer and pop it in the fridge in the morning, and it will be thawed in time for dinner. Pour into a soup pot and reheat.
  2. Tip: If you insist on doing it the old-fashioned way, omit the sugar, cornstarch, beef stock, tomato sauce and soy sauce, and replace them with three 10-oz (284 mL) cans of beef consommé and one 10-oz (284 mL) can of tomato soup.
The Best of Bridge https://www.bestofbridge.com/

This recipe is available in the book Best of Bridge The Family Slow Cooker.

Join the discussion 14 Comments

  • How many calories would be in a serving of the soup? Is one cup the serving amount? Also, I made it the old fashioned way before and it was amazing. With these other changes, is the taste different?
    Slow cooker hamburger soup

    • Best of Bridge Editors says:

      Hi Maureen,

      We do not have a nutritional breakdown for our recipes. Our current recipe is similar in taste but does not exactly duplicate the original, but we hope you’ll love this version just as much! One serving is approximately 1 cup.

  • Jananne baker says:

    Best cookbooks of all time! The original hamburger soup is such a favourite that I dare not try the new version……but might try making it in my Slow cooker

    • Best of Bridge Editors says:

      Hi Jananne,
      We’re thrilled that you enjoy our cookbook series. We absolutely love both versions of the beloved Best of Bridge Hamburger Soup!!!

  • Sandy says:

    Rating: 5*s!
    Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband is a soup lover and thoroughly enjoyed this soup. It will now be included in our soup rotation.

    • Best of Bridge Editors says:

      Hi Sandy, thanks for letting us know! We’re thrilled that one of our favorite recipes is also now one of yours, too! Enjoy 🙂

  • Kate says:

    Really yummy and tastes exactly like the original! I actually prefer this version as I’m not likely to have consommé on hand but usually have beef stock. Also prepped for a freezer meal so all I have to do is defrost and add it to the crock pot. Thanks!

    • Best of Bridge Editors says:

      Hi Kate, thanks for letting us know you enjoy the slow cooker version. Kuddos to you for prepping ahead – such a great time saver!

  • Joanna says:

    Can you do this on high for 4 hours instead?

  • Sabrina says:

    Have you tried it with meat alternative or Beyond the Meat? We have a vegetarian in the family and she used to love this soup the traditional way so wondering if it will taste the same with vegetarian alternative

    • Best of Bridge Editors says:

      Hi Sabrina, we have not tested this with a meat alternative, but we believe it would be just as tasty. Enjoy!

  • Bonny says:

    Think the trick to get the old-fashioned taste is the tomato soup. I used it and beef broth (I like Better than Bouillon) and made the water ingredient into broth so a total of 5.5 cups of broth. I didn’t use the sugar, cornstarch, tomato sauce or soy sauce. Definitely use lean or extra lean ground beef so the soup isn’t oily. It was excellent soup!!

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