Ground Beef and Potato Soup

This Tex-Mex spin on ground beef and potato soup or hamburger potato soup combines extra lean ground beef with diced poblano peppers, onion, potatoes, and corn tortillas to make a deliciously spicy protein-packed soup.

The starch from the potatoes and tortillas make the soup thick and creamy without any actual cream or dairy, keeping the soup lower fat and lower calorie. And aside from light veggie prep, it’s an easy recipe that comes together in one-pot in under an hour.

Ingredients for Tex-Mex Ground Beef and Potato Soup

When I set out to make a soup with ground beef and potatoes, I wanted to make something a bit different. Most potato beef soup recipes seem to be either tomato-based or cream-based.

Coming fresh off ground pork chili, tomato-based was out. And to keep things lighter, heavy cream was off the menu as well.

The natural starch in russet potatoes thickens soup as it cooks. But what if you wanted to really get down with the thickness?

Enter: Corn Tortillas

You’ll see corn starch added as a thickener in many soups and broths. Corn tortillas work in a similar fashion while also providing great corn flavor. This isn’t anything new if you’ve tried recipes like my white bean chicken soup but don’t worry, the tortillas will dissolve with a few stirs while the soup simmers.

If you want to make the soup extra thick and creamy, you could stir in Mexican crema like in my Mexican chicken pot pie or make a cheese sauce like the low fat ricotta sauce in my creamy Italian chicken soup.

Poblano Peppers

The next ingredient required for making a ground beef and potatoes soup that’s not boring is some form of pepper. Poblano peppers are on the mild end of the spice spectrum, somewhere between bell peppers, Anaheim peppers, and jalapeño peppers.

Feel free to adjust up or down based on your spice preference. The peppers are the only heat-providing ingredient in this potato and ground beef soup so this is your shot to get hot.

The Seasoning Blend

Salt, ground cumin, dried oregano, and garlic powder—that’s all you need, in my opinion. Though, a little pinch of cinnamon and cloves is always a great touch with flavor profiles like this. You may also want to add a bay leaf or two while the soup simmers. What’s the point of bay leaves?

Just don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before serving. And as with any other dish, don’t forget to salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Quick note: You’ll know your ground beef potato soup is ready to serve when the potatoes are fork tender and any morsels of corn tortillas and onion are mostly non-existent. Stirring occasionally while the soup simmers helps the tortillas break down faster.

Want to make this soup in an Instant Pot? See my spicy vegetable beef soup for instructions.

What to Serve with Tex-Mex Hamburger Potato Soup

A little sprinkle of cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and Mexican chili crisp works great. If you have calories to spare, cornbread or tortilla chips are great pairings.

And if you accidentally over-spiced your soup, a little lime juice and dollop of fat free Greek yogurt or sour cream will help balance things out and reduce the heat.

Are you a big Tex Mex fan? If so, be sure to bookmark our Mexican cauliflower rice soup and green chile ground turkey enchiladas recipes for later.

And be sure to let us know what you think about this ground beef and potato soup in a recipe review or comment below. You can leave any recipe questions in the comments as well. We’re happy to help!