Description
Easy cheeseburger soup recipe with ground beef and cheddar cheese. Tastes like your favorite burger in a bowl. Ready in 40 minutes, family approved.
Ingredients
For the Soup Base:
- 4 tablespoons butter, split up (real butter, not that fake stuff)
- ½ pound lean ground beef (I use 85/15 – fatty enough for flavor)
- ¾ cup chopped onion (yellow onion works fine, don’t overthink it)
- ¾ cup shredded carrots (buy the bag, save yourself some time)
- ¾ cup chopped celery (include the leafy parts – they taste good)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (fresh is fine too if you have it)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (same deal with fresh)
- 4 cups cubed potatoes (russets are best, don’t bother peeling them)
- 3 cups chicken broth (get the good stuff, it makes a difference)
For the Creamy Cheese Base:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (this makes it thick, don’t skip it)
- 1½ cups milk (whole milk – skim makes it taste like water)
- 2 cups cubed cheddar cheese (cut it yourself, pre-shredded is garbage)
- ¼ cup sour cream (let it sit out before you use it)
For Garnish:
- Green onions, chopped up
- Whatever else you want – bacon, pickles, more cheese
Instructions
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in your big pot, medium heat. When it stops bubbling, dump in the ground beef, onion, carrots, and celery all at once. Yeah, it looks like a lot. That’s fine.
Stir it around and break up the beef for about 5-7 minutes. You want the beef brown and crumbly, vegetables soft. Should smell like cooking burgers at this point. My dog always shows up in the kitchen during this step because it smells so good.
Don’t rush it. Good browning here means better flavor later. If some parts get a little crispy, even better.
Throw in the basil and parsley. Smells amazing when it hits the hot mixture. Add the potatoes and pour in the broth. Should cover everything by about an inch. If not, add water.
Bring it to a real boil – big bubbles breaking the surface. Then turn it down so it’s just simmering. Little bubbles around the edges. Put a lid on it and let it go for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are soft.
Stick a fork in a potato piece. If it goes in easy, you’re good. If not, give it a few more minutes.
This is the trickiest part but not really that tricky. In your other pot, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. When it’s melted, whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for about a minute – it’ll smell nutty when it’s ready.
Now slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly. I mean constantly. Don’t stop or you’ll get lumps and have to start over. Add maybe ¼ cup at first, whisk until smooth, then add more. Once you get about half in, you can go faster but keep whisking.
Cook it until it’s thick enough to coat a spoon. Takes maybe 3-4 minutes of gentle bubbling. If you get lumps anyway, keep whisking hard – sometimes they smooth out.
Pour the milk mixture into your soup pot slowly, stirring the soup as you pour. This keeps it from getting lumpy. Bring everything back to a bubble, stirring so nothing sticks.
Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat to low and add the cheese cubes bit by bit. Don’t dump it all in – it won’t melt right. Stir each handful in before adding more. Watch it turn golden and gorgeous.
Last step – stir in the sour cream just until it’s warm. Don’t let it boil after this or it might look weird.
Taste it. Add salt and pepper if you want. Usually doesn’t need much because the broth and cheese are already salty.
Scoop it into bowls and put green onions on top. Or whatever you want – crispy bacon, pickles, more cheese. My kids like to float crackers on top.
Serve it hot with bread if you want. Fills you up either way.
Notes
Brown in batches: Making a double batch? Brown the meat in two separate pans or it steams instead of browns. Steamed ground beef is sad ground beef.
Cheese trick: Half cheddar, half cream cheese makes it extra creamy. Cut the cream cheese into chunks first so it melts easier.
Cut everything the same size: Sounds obvious but I used to cut carrots tiny and celery huge. Everything cooks unevenly that way.
Secret ingredient: Splash of Worcestershire sauce with the herbs. Just a little – adds depth without being obvious about it.
Storage tip: Gets really thick in the fridge. Thin it out with milk when reheating or it’s like eating cheese paste.
Potato hack: Cut them smaller if you’re in a hurry. They cook faster and soup’s ready sooner.
Don’t boil after sour cream: Seriously. It curdles and looks gross. Keep it gentle.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American