Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Hamburger Soup {Paleo, Whole30}
Curling up with a warm bowl of this Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Hamburger Soup might be one of my favorite things to do on a chilly winter night. Creamy, comforting, made from squeaky clean ingredients and veggie-loaded, this soup is a complete meal that your family is going to devour…and you are going to adore since you can make it in minutes in your handy dandy Instant Pot.
Creamy Tomato Hamburger Soup
This soup comes with a back story, guys. It’s been part of my life for many years and has been with me through many seasons of life.
As a child, I remember my mother making a version of this soup on chilly fall and winter nights for dinner. I don’t recall her exact recipe….and I don’t think I haven ever seen it actually written down (call me out if I’m wrong, Ma), but I remember being *so jazzed* when I saw her cooking hamburger soup for dinner.
While the veggies my mom used always changed (I assume because she used whatever was handy and needed to be used up), the soup always had a creamy tomato base and was loaded with crumbled hamburger.
Everyone has a handful of recipes that were staples during their childhood, and hamburger soup was definately one of mine!
Fast forward to my college years….and me being dirt poor. I was living with (equally dirt poor) friends and we would literally scrape together whatever edible provisions we had on hand to make this soup on repeat. Back then, we affectionately called it “Stone Soup” after the childhood folk tale in which a hungry stranger convinces the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys.
Community meal
In many ways, hamburger soup was Stone Soup, since it was a community meal made up of whatever we had. It was easy, always fed everyone and could usually be made without us needing to go to the store.
One person would bring the carrots.
Someone else brought the hamburger.
Another person brought some sort of other veggie.
I was always in charge of the tomato soup…..and the cooking.
And just like I remembered from my childhood, the soup was always different…but always delicious, filling and stuck with us through many all-night study sessions.
Still making hamburger soup
And now, here I am. Far from childhood and those college years, but still making hamburger soup. While my method and even some ingredients have changed over the years, the flavor of the hamburger soup my mother used to make me when I was little still shines through in each bite. It is still a staple in my home…
Then, now….and probably always…..
Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!
Other mouthwatering recipes you are going to adore…
- Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
- Corn and Black Bean Salad
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Instant Pot Creamy Mushroom Chicken
Loving this Instant Pot creamy tomato hamburger soup and hungry for more?
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Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Hamburger Soup {Paleo, Whole30}
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado or coconut oil
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (cashew, almond or coconut milk will work)
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 cups broth or stock
- 1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 3 large carrots, washed and diced
- 2 cups loosely packed kale, deribbed and roughly chopped
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the non-dairy milk, onion, garlic, broth/stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and salt. Blend until smooth and mixture has an even consistency. Set aside for a moment.
- Turn on your Instant Pot’s “saute” function and add the oil to the pot. Once hot, crumble the ground beef into the Instant Pot. Brown for a minute or two until the meat is mostly browned, but still slightly pink.
- Add tomato mixture to the Instant Pot and stir. Add diced carrots to the Instant Pot as well, stirring one more time to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock in place and turn the valve to sealing. Select the manual setting and set to cook for 10 minutes on HIGH pressure.
- Once the time is up, switch the valve to venting to quick release the pressure.
- Once all of the pressure is released, remove the lid and add the kale to the pot. Stir a few times and replace the lid. Allow the kale to wilt in the hot soup for 3-4 minutes.
- After the kale has had a chance to wilt, remove the lid and enjoy the soup immediately!
Well, I don’t have an Instant Pot, and I assume your Mother didn’t either. This sounds absolutely wonderful and I will definitely try it with conventional cooking methods
You are correct, my mom made this the old fashion way…on the stove top! It can totally be done in a reasonable amount of time!
This is the first recipe that I’ve made of yours. I was really skeptical, but holy shit. It’s so good. Didn’t use an instant pot Bc… ya know…. I’m poor and my kitchen is 5×10…. BUT IT DOESNT MATTER. ITS SO GOOD 🙈
I can’t seem to get a printable version of this. Is the link broken? Looks delicious!
Hmmm, the print button seems to be working okay for me. Perhaps refresh and try again!
This looks delicious! I love your site and can’t wait to try this soup. I’ve been veggie loading my whole life. I remember making spaghetti and finely grating carrots and squash in with the ground beef as I browned it when I was probably 8… I know I could hardly reach the stove top without a step stool. I’m so thankful my mom always allowed me to participate in the kitchen at a young age. Knowing how to cook and use up little bits of things creatively really helped me through many poor times in college and newlywed life! Keep up the good work with your daughter and site.
Thank you so much!
I want to try this recipe this week but I had just a few questions…
Ground turkey instead of ground beef? What fat % would you recommend?
The family is not big on kale, could that part be skipped completely? Does it make a big difference to the meal?
Thanks!
I would do full fat turkey, but that is just me!
And you can skip the kale if it is not your thing! Or sub it with spinach! Either way, it does not make or break the recipes!
The dish you prepared is delicious.
I think I’m going to try adding broken up lasagne noodles…for a twist on lasagne soup!
Wow!
I can never get tired of soup recipes – they are always so yummy! 🙂
Is there a preferred broth to use (beef, chicken, vegetable)? Thank you.
Any that you have on hand or that you prefer will work