Slow-Cooker Hamburger Soup O’Brien

I gotta tell ya, this soup was so hard to make. Unbelievably hard. But not as you might think.

For those of you who have been a round awhile, you know that I’m a planner. I plan out our meals well in advance. By mid February, I knew what I was planning to serve for Labor Day and every day in between. That is not to say it’s all carved in stone. Things come up. Life happens.

And so was the case for Hamburger Soup O’Brien. It was on the menu, then life happened, so it was pushed ahead for another day. Life had other plans, so it was pushed forward yet again and again. Finally, the day came when nothing stood between me and my meal planner. That is except one little thing – old age. I forgot to thaw anything out. Thank God for the convenience of a microwave. With a little patients and care, anything can be thawed in the microwave. Even bags of frozen potatoes. Go slow, use the defrost timer and keep checking. The goal is to defrost the diced potatoes, not cook them. The same can be said for ground beef. When I do find myself stuck using the microwave to thaw ground beef, I always stop zapping my hamburger meat while the center is still partially frozen. Don’t worry, once crumbled in the skillet, those bits still frozen will thaw beautifully.

So glad I finally got around to serving up this satisfying bowl of soup. I have to wonder, did life get in the way of this wonderful soup so I would appreciate it more? Maybe. Hope you enjoy as much as my guys did. Have a great day!

Slow-Cooker Hamburger Soup O’Brien
1 (14 oz) bag Frozen O’Brien Potatoes
1-1/2 lbs Ground Beef
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 medium Carrot
1 (15 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
1 (11 oz) can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 (10 oz) can French Onion Soup
1/2 cup Beef Stock

Thaw potatoes in the refrigerator overnight.

Cook beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Drain well; season with salt and pepper.

While the meat cooks, peel and dice carrots. Set aside until ready to use.

Empty diced tomatoes with juices into a blender. Puree for about a minute. Mix tomato puree and mushroom soup in medium bowl. Stir in onion soup and stock.

Spray the insert of your slow cooker or Instant Pot with cooking spray. Reserve 1 cup of the potatoes. Gently mix beef, remaining potatoes, carrots, salt and soup mixture in the bowl of your cooker. Sprinkle with reserved 1 cup potatoes.

Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 5 hours. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

If you can, cook up a batch of biscuits to serve with this thick soup. The warm biscuits are great dipped into the broth and bring something extra to the meal.