Hamburger Potato Soup with Hashbrowns

This Hamburger Potato Soup with Hash Browns is a quick and easy potato soup made with frozen hash browns! No peeling or chopping needed. The potato hamburger soup cooks in one pot on the stovetop and is ready in just 30 minutes.

Busy parents crave simple meals that taste great and offer comfort. As a wild game chef and full-time recipe developer, I get it. My wife and my ten-year-old daughter get it as well. We all move fast during the week. We work, and some of you might have a long commute before you finally make it home at night. We help with homework in the few minutes we have between school and shuttling kids to after-school activities. Yet we still crave delicious food. We also crave meals that bring us together around the dinner table.

This hamburger potato soup solves that problem. It uses frozen Southern-style hash browns so it can hit the table in just 30 minutes. Finally, it offers the warm satisfaction that only a potato hamburger soup can deliver on a cold night that we have so often here in Fargo, North Dakota.

Why You'll Love This Hamburger Potato Soup

First, it delivers on flavor. Second, it uses common pantry ingredients so you don't have to make a special trip to the grocery store. Third, this potato soup recipe works with either ground venison or lean ground beef. Fourth, it uses less dairy than traditional creamy potato soups. This matters in my house. My daughter is lactose intolerant. She can take medication before dairy, but she still prefers less cream. In addition, my wife isn't a fan of the common heavy cream overload in other potato soups. So I use half the dairy that most cheesy hamburger potato soup recipes use. The result feels lighter but still creamy enough to satisfy.

Frozen Hash Browns Make Potato Soup Easy

I love traditional potato soup made with red potatoes. That's because red potatoes are the most widely produced variety grown in the region where I live in North Dakota. They are a hallmark of Red River Valley agriculture. But I also love convenience when I only have a narrow window to cook dinner. One day I picked up my daughter from school. We drove home. We had exactly 45 minutes before heading to gymnastics. I needed dinner that tasted great and did not require peeling potatoes.

So I used frozen Southern-style hash browns. They're already peeled and already cut. They cook fast, breaking down beautifully in a soup to create a silky texture once blended. They also absorb the chicken broth and heavy whipping cream with ease. This shortcut saved twenty minutes of prep and cook time. It also saved cleanup time. That is the key when work and school schedules get tight.

Cooking with Venison or Lean Ground Beef

This potato hamburger soup works with lean ground beef. However, I recommend ground venison for all of the deer and elk hunters out there. It cooks fast. It tastes clean and mild. It also offers lean protein without excess fat. It fits perfectly in a comforting winter soup.

When browning venison, add oil. Venison is lean. It needs fat for browning. Browning develops flavor. Brown the meat until no longer pink. Break it up with a spatula. Season it well with salt and pepper, then set it aside. This step builds the base for everything that follows.

Technique Notes for the Beginner Home Cook

Here are a few helpful ideas to help beginners build confidence in the kitchen:

• First, brown meat in oil to create flavor.
• Second, microwave frozen potatoes to soften them fast.
• Third, sauté onion, carrots, and celery to build a flavorful base.
• Fourth, blend soups to adjust texture and thickness.
• Fifth, stir cheese in off heat to stop it from clumping.
• Sixth, simmer instead of boil once dairy enters the pot.

Potato Soup for Lactose Intolerance

I always have to pay attention when using dairy in creamy soups. I use ½ cup of heavy whipping cream and just 4 ounces of cheddar cheese. Many recipes use double or triple that amount. This lighter approach avoids heavy stomachs. It also respects my daughter’s lactose intolerance. After she takes her medication she can enjoy this creamy potato soup without problems. Meanwhile, my wife appreciates that the cream does not overwhelm the flavor.

Family, Dinner Tables, and Joyful Eating

Cooking offers us something more than just calories. It creates connection. On nights when we gather around our kitchen table, the world slows down. Phones disappear. Conversation returns. Our 10-year-old daughter tells stories about school. My wife talks about her day. We laugh, we share, and we eat together.

This hamburger potato soup recipe helps create that moment. It requires no fancy ingredients and respects your time. More importantly, it allows families to sit together on ordinary weeknights. That's when the best memories form. Not just on birthdays or holidays. But on Tuesdays after piano lessons. Those nights matter the most.

Recipe for Hamburger Potato Soup with Hashbrowns

Hamburger Potato Soup Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground venison or 90% lean ground beef
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 (32-ounce) bag southern style frozen hashbrown cubes
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme, divided
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 6 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup fresh chives, minced

Potato Soup Toppings

• bacon bits
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese
• fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

1. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add ground venison and brown until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula as it's cooked. Season with ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Transfer cooked venison to a large plate.

2. Meanwhile, toss hashbrowns with 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high until potatoes are hot, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In the same Dutch oven or soup pot, add remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil with onion, carrots, celery, ½ teaspoon of ground thyme, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables are slightly tender, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the minced garlic and cook another 1 minute, stirring constantly.

5. Add hashbrowns and butter and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

6. Add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining ½ teaspoon ground thyme. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to medium so it's gently simmering. Continue to simmer for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Puree soup with immersion blender until smooth, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, puree soup in batches in blender until smooth, then transfer back to Dutch oven and keep warm over low heat.) Whisk shredded cheese into soup until melted. Whisk in cream, chives, and cooked ground meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve with all your favorite potato soup toppings: bacon bits, sour cream, and more shredded cheese and chopped fresh chives.

More Ground Venison Soup Recipes

If you are looking for more soup recipes where you can use some of that ground venison in your freezer, be sure and check out these family favorites:

• Deer Burger Soup with Mixed Vegetables
• Venison Ravioli Soup
• Stuffed Cabbage Soup

How To Store Potato Soup For Leftovers

Cover and refrigerate the soup for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave or reheat in a small saucepan over low heat until heated through. You may need to thin the soup with some more chicken broth to reach the desired consistency.

Come Deer Hunting in North Dakota

If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.

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