Enhance your ground beef soup
Ground beef soup is great on its own, of course, but when you want to pump up the volume a bit at supper time, here are some tasty ways to make this dish even better.
Sprinkle some toppings. Crunchy croutons, creamy yogurt, fresh herbs (chives or basil), grated cheese or lemon or lime zest are just a few ways to top ground beef soup.Serve a matching carb. If you’re thinking of making the taco soup in this gallery, offer flour tortillas on the side, and for the instant or crock pot chili, cornbread is the perfect accompaniment. And don’t forget rice, barley, quinoa and other cooked grains too.Add extra veggies. That all-American protein, ground beef, is the star here, but a few more vegetables in the pot isn’t a bad idea (your mom would be so proud!). Frozen peas or green beans added toward the end of the cooking time is one way to go, but you could also whip up a simple green salad to serve on the side.Dunk—and dunk again. Warm slices of sourdough or country bread are so efficient at wiping the bowl clean. Or try other yummy dunkers, including breadsticks, crackers or flatbreads such as whole wheat pita, focaccia or Indian options like roti or naan.
Ideas to lighten up ground beef soup
Looking for a fresher, healthier take when it comes to ground beef soup? These recipes can all be lightened a bit by replacing up to half of the beef with an equal amount of fiber-rich lentils or beans or a meat substitute like crumbled tofu. For fast swaps, look to canned beans such as black, kidney, or small white navy beans or try legumes like lentils or chickpeas. More veggies are welcome too, especially nutritious greens like arugula, baby spinach or Swiss chard which can be chopped and then wilted into ground beef soup at the end of the cooking time.
Soup leftovers ideas
If you’re faced with a few extra portions of ground beef soup in your Dutch oven, you can actually repurpose it into another night’s meal. Here’s how:
Ladle it over pasta. Leftover soup can easily become a “sauce” for a plate of spaghetti, fettuccine or penne. Top your pasta dish with crumbled feta, goat cheese or Parmesan.Stuff it in tortillas. Did someone say tacos? Yup, these delicious soups would be ideal the next day inside warm tortillas, either taco-style, wrapped as a burrito or scooped between two tortillas with cheddar or jack cheese and griddled to make quesadillas. To make them less soupy, drain off a bit of the liquid before stuffing your tortillas.Add some broth. You can stretch leftover ground beef soup to serve it at another meal with another cup or two of chicken, beef or vegetable stock.Fry up an egg. Transform your ho-hum bowl of ground beef soup into a wow-worthy lunch by sliding a fried egg or two on top.
Looking for some more classic ground beef ideas? These 15 fantastic chili recipes are just the ticket—and they’ll warm your belly too. Next up: The Best Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
