Cheeseburger Soup
The homiest, coziest, easiest soup. Perfect for eating with a big slice of homemade bread while enjoying this winter wonderland from inside.
Every winter my mom would make cheeseburger soup several times. It was so cheesy and comforting. I truly loved it. I’ve dreamed about it several times now as and adult, but what gave it the velvety cheese base was big chunks of American cheese. I decided awhile back that though I admittedly do still love the taste of it, all the ingredients in it was not something I wanted to give my family on a regular basis. So cheeseburger soup was out for me. Until I came up with this recipe!
Making lunch for my dad one day, I was determined to find a way to make this soup again without Velveeta. The cream cheese creates the velvety texture and the different shredded cheeses add a boost of flavor. It’s a hit that will once again be on repeat in these colder months!
Full disclosure, I did not measure a darn thing when I made this again for the blog. So bear with me as I’m guessing my measurements. My thought is that while baking is a science, cooking is an art. So freestyle it, you little artist!
Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons flour (gluten free if necessary)
4-5 cups beef bone broth
4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped
1-2 bay leaves
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces cream cheese
3-4 cups shredded cheese of choice (I used smoked cheddar, colby jack, and a little bit of parmesan)
In a large pot or dutch oven, brown the ground beef seasoned generously with salt and pepper. Once the beef is browned, remove the meat leaving the grease behind in the pot.
If there isn’t much grease, add a tablespoon of butter. Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrot. Brown the vegetables in the grease or butter. When browned, add the paprika, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the four. Pour a cup or so of the bone broth in and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the fond off the bottom. Add the rest of the bone broth.
Add your potatoes and bay leaves into the soup. Bring your soup to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes or so.
When the potatoes are done, stir in your ground beef, milk, cream cheese, and shredded cheese. Stir until everything is melted and well mixed. Remove the bay leaves. Serve with bread or rolls and enjoy!
