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Mock Turtle Soup is a Louisiana style ground beef soup that’s easy to make and comes together in just 40 minutes! Serve it over rice with some chopped hard boiled eggs for a filling and hearty meal.
If you’re a long time reader, you know I love a cozy and comforting soup recipe. And I love them even more when they’re quick and easy!
The ingredient list for this mock turtle soup is long but I promise it’s easy to make. Once you brown your ground beef and dice all of your veggies, it cooks up quickly!
While you can enjoy a bowl of this thick ground beef soup on its own, we usually serve it over some coconut jasmine rice with a side of Instant Pot cornbread.
Jump to:
What is mock turtle soup?
Mock turtle soup originated in England and was meant to imitate green turtle soup. Initially, the soup was made with a calf’s head but now it’s normally made with ground beef.
In the United States, snapping turtles are commonly used in turtle soup. The recipe I’m sharing is a Creole style mock turtle soup with hot sauce, diced veggies and ground beef to replace the turtle meat.
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Why this recipe works
- The soup is ready in just 40 minutes but it’s so rich and flavorful, you’d think it was simmering for hours on the stovetop!
- It’s great for meal prep as the flavor is even more amazing as the soup sits in the fridge overnight.
- Ground beef is more economical compared to some other protein sources, so this recipe is budget friendly and goes a long way!
- It also stores well. You can store this soup in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
The following is an overview of some of the ingredients needed for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please see the recipe card below.
You’ll need 1 pound of ground beef for this recipe. I prefer to use extra lean ground beef (90/10), but you can also use lean, or 80/20, if you prefer.
The veggies include onion, celery and green pepper. Make sure they’re diced so they cook quickly.
To add a umami flavor, the recipe calls for ¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce. It adds a salty and tangy flavor.
For additional tangy flavor and a sour note, the recipe also includes ¼ cup of lemon juice. Make sure you use freshly squeezed lemon juice and not the bottled kind that normally has additives.
To add a sweet and slightly nutty flavor, ¼ cup of sherry is added to the soup. If you don’t have any, you can substitute with a dry white wine.
The soup broth consists of 4 cups of beef stock. You can also substitute chicken stock.
For a little heat, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of Louisiana hot sauce. You can substitute another type of hot sauce if you prefer.
To top the soup, the recipe calls for 2 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters.
Step by step instructions
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the ground beef.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the eggs) and bring to a simmer.
Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add additional salt and/or lemon juice if desired (to taste).
Remove from heat and serve with chopped eggs.
Expert tips
- The soup is thick. While you can enjoy it on its own, you can also serve it over rice.
- If the soup is too thick, you can just add more beef broth.
- To control the saltiness of the soup, I prefer to use low sodium or homemade broths like this slow cooker beef bone broth.
- If you don’t have beef broth, you can use chicken broth like this homemade crockpot chicken broth.
- I used 90/10 beef (extra lean ground beef) but you can also use 80/20.
- If the browned ground beef is too greasy, you can drain the excess beef fat before adding it to the soup.
Common questions
No, this soup is not made with turtle meat. It’s made with ground beef in order to mock (or imitate) the turtle meat in turtle soup.
For a leaner soup, you can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken.
It’s normally served on its own with chopped hard boiled eggs on top. Since it’s so thick, you can also serve it over rice like this Instant Pot jasmine rice or Instant Pot basmati rice. You can also add some air fryer cornbread on the side.
Storage and freezing instructions
Leftover mock turtle soup will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To freeze, store the cooled soup in individual freezer safe containers, making sure to leave room at the top for the soup to expand. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, just warm on the stovetop until heated through. If the soup is frozen, you’ll need to thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More soup recipes
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Recipe
Mock Turtle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10
- ½ onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup sherry
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 4 cups beef stock substitute chicken
- 2 hard boiled eggs cut in quarters
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the ground beef.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except the eggs) and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add additional salt and/or lemon juice if desired (to taste).
- Remove from heat and serve with chopped eggs.
Expert Tips:
- The soup is thick. While you can enjoy it on its own, you can also serve it over rice.
- If the soup is too thick, you can just add more beef broth.
- To control the saltiness of the soup, I prefer to use low sodium or homemade broths like this slow cooker beef bone broth.
- If you don’t have beef broth, you can use chicken broth like this homemade crockpot chicken broth.
- I used 90/10 beef (extra lean ground beef) but you can also use 80/20.
- If the browned ground beef is too greasy, you can drain the excess beef fat before adding it to the soup.
Nutrition
jackie
Yum! This was easy and the whole family loved it. Added a little more hot sauce to spice it up a bit 🙂
Danielle
That's great to hear - thanks!