Lunchroom Ladies (Recipe: School Lunchroom Hamburger Soup)
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The idea of school lunches evokes a pleasant thought for me. I grew up in the era of real lunchroom ladies who cooked meals from scratch. They arrived at school before the chickens were up and started cooking. Wonderful aromas wafted throughout the school letting your lucky nose and sense of smell give clues about what might be in store at lunchtime. I’m sure menus went home, but I don’t remember that. It seems to me I would just wait to catch the drifting aromas and figure out the day’s lunch. I never brought my lunch from home so whatever the lunchroom ladies had in store would take up residence in my gullet, sooner or later.
School Lunchroom Hamburger Soup with Saltines
School Lunchroom Rolls were a big hit with almost everyone. That fresh-baked yeasty roll would make you weak in the knees it was so good.
Anyone who was lucky enough to eat in a school lunchroom during the era, probably had Hamburger Soup. Ahhh…..Hamburger Soup. I remember it well. It was often served with a cheese sandwich, not grilled cheese but cold cheese, or peanut butter balls. The soup had plenty of protein making the addition of another protein interesting.
To this day, a bowl of soup and a glass of milk is one of my favorite things in the whole big world. God bless Lunchroom Ladies, where ever they may be.
Y’all come see us!
School Lunchroom Hamburger Soup
yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ground hamburger meat joins lots of good vegetables for a soul-warming, gullet-pleasing, uncomplicated, big ‘ol bowl of soup.
4 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
2 onions, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 to 4 clove garlic, minced
3 pounds ground beef (85/15)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 quart stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 cups whole kernel corn, fresh, frozen or canned
1 (15 oz.) can LeSuer very young small sweet peas, drained
salt and pepper to taste
Heat large soup pot and add olive oil. Sauté carrots, celery and onions for 10 minutes or until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Throw ground beef on top of all those beautiful vegetables and cook the meat until pink is gone. Don’t you dare drain away all that good juice after the meat is cooked. There’s very little fat in 85/15 ground beef. What little bit is there is going to add flavor.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.
Add bay leaves. Return to simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove cover and add corn and peas. Stir. Cover and cook 15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Ladle in soup bowls. For Cheeseburger Soup, add grated cheese to each bowl.
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Sounds good!!!
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Oh, yes! I loved that hamburger soup!!! Even now I pattern my own version of that soup after what I remember Ms. Edna Mae cooking in the lunchroom. And, it is good.
Sue,
I made this soup up as I remembered it, too. I got pretty darn close, if I do say so myself! Were you served cheese sandwiches or peanut butter balls with yours?
Hi,
This recipe sounds hearty and filling. I love soups like this! I am in my late 20′s and spent my early years of elementary school in a VERY small Midwestern town.The lunch ladies there were so awesome! Not only were they such sweet ladies, but they made amazing food! Best cafeteria food hands-down! I loved their soups, hot rolls, chili pie and desserts…good memories!
Jennifer
Jennifer,
My husband and I ate this soup for three days! I’m making up another batch soon to freeze.
I love hearing about your fondness for lunchroom ladies. The ones I remember were just spectacular.
I loved our lunch ladies. The one I remember most fondly was Tina. Our cafeteria was named Tina’s Luncheonette. She had box lunches and hot food every day. She was a great cook and the sweetest lady. Later in high school, our cafeteria had these peanut butter bars that were to die for. I went back after I had graduated and managed to charm the recipe from one of them. Of course I had to do a lot of math since it was in serious amounts of flour, sugar etc. but I got it figured out and nearly 40 years later I am making them for my granddaughter.
Kittie,
The lunchroom ladies from our era were so sweet and nurturing. I’m not so sure our children and grandchildren have the same memories.
Jackie it seemed those cooks were the best! The yeast rolls and the peanut butter candy was always a hit. I love that soup!!
Jean,
They were great cooks, no doubt about that! And, just as importantly, they were sweet ladies.
I wrote about cafeteria ladies about a year ago. My memories are fond, because of recipes like the one you’ve posted.
Adam,
Thanks for stopping by! Lunchroom ladies have a pretty large fan base. I remember thinking about schoollunch before the day even got started. Good memories.
My mother-in-law made this kind of soup, she used canned mixed veg. and called it poor mans stew. She had seven children to raise, and was very good cook.
Virginia,
There was a time when ground beef was cheap but not so much anymore.
One of my favorite memories was the smell of food when I entered the cafeteria. I always enjoyed my lunch there. Mac & Cheese, Soup, Tomato Sandwiches, It was all good.
Mary,
Lunches were good then. They are so different now. I can’t,for the life of me,see how it’s more economical to serve pre made food including pizza, cheese sticks, sandwiches, etc., than making simple food from scratch. It seems to me they offer too many choices in one day which drives up their cost. I don’t know about you, but our only choice was to eat or not to eat.
Perfect winter time soup….gonna try this one this weekend!! Thanks Jackie!!
I hope you enjoy it, Danny! Happy New Year!
God bless you for posting your memory. You see, my grandmother was one of those sweet lunchroom ladies at my elementary school when I was a child. Her responsibility was baking those heavenly yeast rolls, biscuits, cornbread, and the desserts! Yes, I always got a little extra dessert serving! My grandma often made a batch of those melt in your mouth yeast rolls for family gatherings! Glad to have this recipe and will be trying it soon.
Sherry,
God bless your Grandmother! She touched the heart, soul and stomach of countless number of students. If only school lunch rooms were run the same today…..
This is the type of vegetable soup my grandma used to make. Took me forever to perfect my own version after she passed. I’ve found the key to be freezing my leftover veggies and saving it for the soup.
Stephanie,
How smart and frugal of you! I keep a bag in my freezer of leftover veggies and keep adding to it until I have enough for soup. The seasoned leftover veggies add more flavor to the soup, too!
I remember my school serving this with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and it was so good together! Our lunchroom ladies also made the homeade yeast rolls and homeade yeast cinnamon rolls with real butter and lots of cinnamon and sugar on the bottoms….wonderful cooks!
Carol,
Nobody bakes like lunchroom ladies bake!
Yes, the lunchroom ladies were the BEST! I remember the homemade pizza, peanut butter cookies, and hot homemade yeast rolls! This Hamburger Soup sounds So. Good.
Happy New Year! ~Joy from Yesterfood
Happy New Year, Joy!!