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Oma's German Green Bean Soup (Grüne Bohnensuppe)

This hearty German green bean soup (grüne bohnensuppe) is a family favorite … simple, satisfying, and full of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) olive oil
• 1 pound (454 g) ground lean beef, (see notes below)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 pounds (900 g) bag frozen cut green beans
• about 1 teaspoon (1 g) dried summer savory (Bohnenkraut) 
• 1 - 1½ tablespoons (9-14 g) Vegeta Food Seasoning (see notes below)
• 5 cups (~675 g) cubed raw potatoes, see below for other ideas
• about 6 cups (~1.4 L)beef broth or water
• about ½ cup (15-20 g) instant mashed potato flakes (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. In large pot or a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil and sauté the ground beef until it starts to brown.
2. Add onions. Continue to sauté onions until they are translucent.
3. Add frozen green beans and raw potatoes. (If using cooked potatoes, add once beans are cooked and just reheat.)
4. Add just enough broth to almost cover veggies. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot.
5. Add savory and Vegeta and stir. 
6. Bring to boil and lower to a medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. 
7. Stir in just enough instant mashed potato flakes to thicken the broth of the soup, if using. Soup will thicken slightly more as it rests after adding the potato flakes.
8. Season with salt, pepper, and extra summer savory, if desired.

Notes/Hints:

• Garnish with fresh parsley or fresh dill with their bright green color.
• Add Maggi to taste.
• Instead of raw potatoes, add leftover cooked potatoes or mashed potatoes. Add this at the end of the cooking process and simmer until hot.
• Instead of ground meat, use ham hocks, smoked sausage or kielbasa. Add it after you brown the onions. Leftover meat can be added at the end instead.
• Instead of frozen beans, use fresh beans. First trim them and cut into small pieces.
• Add garlic cloves, bay leaves, or a ham bone to the simmering soup.
• Vegeta Food Seasoning has salt and dried vegetables in it. If you don't have this, add about 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper to start. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• If you like soup with a clear broth, omit the instant mashed potato flakes.
• This can be made in the slow cooker by putting all the ingredients (after browning the ground beef and onion) into a slow cooker and setting it to low for about 6 hours.
• To make this more of a rich soup, serve it with a dollop of sour cream.
• This tastes wonderful the next day.
• Serve some homemade bread or rye bread with this to make it a main meal. Perfection!

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Recipe updated on May 8, 2025