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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 milliliters) olive oil
• 1 pound (454 grams) ground lean beef, (see notes below)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 pounds (908 grams) bag frozen cut green beans
• 2 pounds (908 grams) potatoes, cubed
• about 6 cups (1.4 liters) beef broth or water
• about 1 teaspoon (1 grams) dried summer savory
• 1 - 1½ tablespoon (9-14 grams) VEGETA food seasoning (see notes below)
• about ½ cup (25 grams) instant mashed potato flakes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat and sauté the ground beef until it starts to brown.
2. Add the onions. Continue to sauté until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the green beans and potatoes.
4. Add just enough broth to almost cover the veggies. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the savory and VEGETA, and stir.
6. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
7. Stir in just enough instant mashed potato flakes to thicken the broth. The soup will thicken slightly more as it rests.
8. Season with salt, pepper, and additional summer savory, if desired, and serve.

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

Updated on January 19, 2026