Description
Rich and creamy hamburger potato soup made with ground beef, tender potatoes, vegetables, and melted Velveeta cheese in a savory broth.
Ingredients
For the Soup Base:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef (I buy the 90/10 lean – learned my lesson with the fatty stuff)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small (white onion works too)
- 2 large carrots, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or that jarred stuff if you’re in a hurry)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
For the Hearty Body:
- 4 large russet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and cut into ½” cubes
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth (low-sodium is fine)
- 2 cups whole milk (don’t use skim – trust me on this)
- ½ pound Velveeta cheese, cut into chunks
Instructions
Heat up that olive oil in your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Throw in the ground beef, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, and parsley all at once. Break up the meat with your spoon as it cooks. I usually just whack at it while it’s cooking – doesn’t have to be perfect. Takes about 8-10 minutes until the beef isn’t pink anymore and the onions look see-through. Make sure you drain off the grease or you’ll have a greasy mess.
Toss in that garlic and let it cook for about 2 minutes. The whole kitchen starts smelling good right about now. My dog always comes running when she smells this part.
Here’s the part my mom never told me about – dump the flour over everything and stir it around until it’s all coated. Cook it for another minute or two. First time I made this I skipped this step and wondered why my soup was so thin. Live and learn.
Pour the chicken broth in slowly while you scrape the bottom of the pot with your spoon. All those brown crusty bits stuck down there? That’s where the good stuff is. Scrape it all up.
Add those potato chunks, milk, and Velveeta pieces. Stir everything around and let it come to a boil. Don’t walk away during this part – milk boils over fast and makes a huge mess on your stove.
Turn the heat way down to medium-low and let it bubble gently for 30-35 minutes. Stir it every once in a while so nothing sticks. You’ll know it’s done when you can poke the potatoes easily with a fork and the soup looks thick enough to coat your spoon. Sometimes mine takes longer if I cut the potatoes big.
Scoop it into bowls and pile on the cheese and green onions if you’ve got them. My kids skip the green onions but load up on extra cheese.
Notes
Get the beef properly browned – don’t stir it constantly like I used to do. Let it sit and develop color.
Keep the heat at medium-low once everything’s in there. I scorched a whole pot last winter by having it too high.
Taste it before serving – I always need to add more pepper than the recipe calls for.
If it gets too thick while sitting, just splash in some milk. Happens to me every time I make it ahead.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American