Many years ago, we used to travel to Fairway, Kansas for Christmas. My mother-in-law, Ethel, would make a soup to have in the fridge during our visit. Today, this soup menu as originally conceived would be considered, a death sentence for the amount of butter and beef it had in it, but at the time we thought of it as being on the “healthy” side because of the amount of vegetables it contained.

One fateful Halloween I was expected to throw a costume party for a group including children and close family friends. I decided to make the soup. In keeping with the holiday spirit, I decided to put it in a huge pumpkin. The soup itself did not contain any of that particular fruit (you heard it here first, people – pumpkin is technically a fruit), but the name Pumpkin Soup stuck.

That’s me, rather arrogantly dressed as Wonder Woman, and my close friend DeeDee dishing up soup from the pumpkin.

Over the years, I’ve modified the recipe considerably, but it continues to be a favorite.

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Hamburger Soup (AKA Pumpkin Soup)

Servings

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter this is a nod to the original recipe. Totally optional!
1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
1 Small onion chopped. I use sweet onions, but the original recipe used traditional yellow onions.
1 clove garlic chopped
2 carrots cut into rounds
2 potatoes cut into cubes; whatever size you want to eat!
1 cup chicken or beef broth I make my own
1 teaspoon herbes de provence or Italian seasonings
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce* original recipe called for more; optional
1 can tomatoes chopped with liquid, or 4 fresh Roma tomatoes
16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables with lima beans if you can find them; I’ve also added edamame when there were no lima beans in the mix
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat large pot (Dutch Oven is good). Put the tablespoon of butter in to melt, if you're using. Brown meat, add onion and garlic; sauté until they are glossy.
Add all remaining ingredients, except frozen vegetables, bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for an hour. Make sure potatoes are cooked.
Add frozen mixed vegetables (usually contain corn, peas carrots, green beans and baby lima beans). Make sure they are heated thoroughly before serving.
Serve in a large bowl. Pumpkin as a serving vessel is optional!!!!

Notes

* This was the primary flavor in the soup although I’ve made this recipe using red wine when I didn’t have any. And now, due to food sensitivities, I often don't include it. I do have a recipe for fake Worcestershire Sauce which would also do the trick.