What is hot dog soup?

At a glance, it’s simply a soup with some wieners popped in. But the actual end product of this recipe is a mix of potatoes, green beans, and sausages that’ll fill your tummy and warm you right up.

Ever wondered why we call those sausages “hot dogs”? It’s all because of someone’s poor spelling. In the early 1900s, a cartoonist at the New York Polo Grounds was distracted by a vendor’s shouting.

“They’re red hot,” yelled the vendor hawking hot dogs. “Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!”

The cartoonist was inspired to put the scene to paper, but there was one problem. He didn’t know how to spell dachshund. So he wrote the words that would cement the name for frankfurters in the public’s mind—“hot dog!”

A century later, hot dogs are a standard part of picnic and camping cuisine worldwide. But what if you’d rather not stuff yourself with the carbs of the hotdog bun? You can still have a filling frankfurter feast, in the form of hot dog soup.

How to make hot dog soup.

It should take you about an hour to prepare this recipe (15 minutes prep + 45 minutes cooking). In these proportions, this soup will yield 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of chicken broth
• 1 (9 ounce) package frozen green beans
• 1 (16 ounce) package beef frankfurters, cut into bite-size pieces

Preparation instructions

1. Place the onion and margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Slowly cook and stir until the onion is soft.
3. Mix in the potatoes and enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and mix in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, green beans, and frankfurters.
5. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
6. Serve warm!

This soup is best served with sides, like a salad and warm rolls.

Nutrition information

• 394 calories.
• Protein: 12.1g
• Carbohydrates: 28.4g
• Fat: 25.9g
• Cholesterol: 41.1mg
• Sodium: 1385.3mg

Final thoughts

You’re most likely to sink your teeth into a hot dog at a sporting event or a picnic. Even then, it’s most likely to be enveloped in the cloudy softness of a hot dog bun. Don’t let that fool you, though. When in a soup, the wieners can be just as filling and delicious as any other protein.

So give this recipe a spin. And be sure to let us know in the comments if anyone’s surprised to see hot dogs in their soup!