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Award Winning Cheeseburger Soup
What you Need to Make the Ultimate Cheeseburger Soup:
This soup is insanely delicious! Made with fresh ingredients and topped with shredded cheese, you will make it again and again! Each vegetable is coated in the cheesy goodness and tastes SO good. You will love this cheeseburger soup recipe!
Cheesy, thick chunks of vegetables and delicious buttery soup base. All of this in one bowl is pure joy and happiness! Simple to make and there will even be a little left over with how much soup there is!
- Ground beef: use one pound
- Onion: chopped
- Carrots: shredded
- Celery: diced
- Basil: dried
- Parsley flakes: added seasoning and flavor.
- Butter: used for sautéing and thickening the soup.
- Chicken broth: adds flavor and volume
- Potatoes: peeled and diced
- Flour: thickens the soup up.
- Velveeta: this a processed cheese that will be cubed or use 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Milk: creamy and smooth.
- Salt and pepper: just a pinch!
- Sour cream: thickens and adds flavoring to the soup.
How to Make The Best Cheeseburger Soup:
It is an award winning soup and it is excellent! This cheeseburger soup comes together quickly and easily. There are a few steps with simple ingredients ending in the perfect creamy soup with chunks of vegetables and tender beef.
It all comes together so well and blends perfectly. Cheeseburger soup is ranked one of my top recipes and people cannot get enough of it. My family included! They ask for this recipe often and I can never say no! I love it just as much as they do!!
- Cook the beef: Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables: In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
- Add in beef and potatoes then simmer: Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Make a roux: In a small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Add in remaining ingredients and cook: Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.
Cooking in the Slow Cooker?
The great thing about this cheeseburger soup is I even have a Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup recipe that is just as good as this one! If you are needing to make in the morning and let the slow cooker do the work, then this is the recipe for you! It tastes just the same as over the stovetop and has just as AMAZING flavoring. Either recipe will be just that good!
Tips for The Best Soup:
This simple to make cheeseburger soup is one of the BEST! You can’t go wrong with the ingredients as well as how good it tastes overall. It is delicious from start to finish! Every bite will leave you wanting more of that creamy soup with thick chunks with every spoonful. Here are some tips that will help make this cheeseburger soup easier to make.
- Ground beef: The leaner the ground beef the better. Be sure to drain off any excess of grease before adding it back into the soup.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are thick and strong. They usually don’t go mushy in soups. Yellow and red potatoes will work too but try not to over cook them.
- Cheese: Velveeta is a favorite for this soup. It will leave it thick and creamy. If you are not a fan of velveeta try shredded cheeses. The texture and thickness will be altered and have a thinner soup base.
- Thickener: Cream cheese is a great way to substitute the sour cream. It will keep it rich and creamy and still have the thick texture you need.
- Remove from heat: Before you add in your sour cream, remove the soup from heat. This will help prevent the sour cream from curdling when being stirred in.
- Make bun croutons: cube a sesame seeded bun and cook them on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes. Watching them so they don’t burn. Using the stove top with a skillet will also work until they are golden brown.
Variations of Warm Cheeseburger Soup:
I love mixing and matching recipes, especially after I have made a recipe a few times it is fun to experiment and try it in different ways.
This cheeseburger soup is one of those recipes. This is definitely a family favorite in our home and made often. I knew I wanted to try somethings a little different. To start with I made this Bacon Cheeseburger Soup recipe. This is a great variation but also kept with the cheeseburger soup recipe I already had, just added some bacon.
Here are a few other ways to enhance, substitute or simply leave out to make this cheeseburger soup recipe your own.
- Meat: switch up your meat by using chicken, ground turkey or even Italian sausage.
- Vegetables: add in more vegetables or substitute the vegetables in the soup. We have tried mushrooms, bell peppers and even canned tomatoes.
- Seasoning: your favorite seasonings can always be added. Simply start with a pinch or 1/4 teaspoon and taste as you go. We have added red pepper flakes or paprika for a more spicy soup or add in season salt for a different taste and blend of soup.
- Cheese: instead of Velveeta try 2 cups of cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese. For a spicier cheeseburger soup try it with pepper jack cheese.
- Cream: don’t leave out the cream but use heavy cream or yogurt or whole milk to keep it creamy but also thick.
- Broth: beef broth or vegetable broth are great substitutes as well.
Add Your Toppings!
Topping are the fun part to add to this cheeseburger soup recipe! There are already so many great ingredients in this recipe that it all blends together. With every bite you are guaranteed a cheesy spoonful with a vegetable and topping. These toppings are versatile and can be made quickly. I love how simple they are and bring this cheeseburger soup even more flavor!
- Bacon pieces: for a quick way of making bacon, I use the microwaveable bacon and cut into chunks. Left over bacon is great too.
- Sour cream: a dollop of sour cream on top just adds to the taste with onions and chives.
- Onion: chopped and added to the top for a more crunchy texture.
- Pickles: dill is my favorite. This is fun to have chunks of pickles on top. It adds a sweeter taste to the soup.
- Crackers: you can never go wrong with crackers. Oyster crackers are fun and little to throw on top or just saltine crackers with a salty taste.
- Croutons: these will soak up all the cheesy broth and add and extra soft, crunch to your bite.
- Chips: salty chips are fun to use or pita chips. Dip them like salsa or crumble them up.
- Bun croutons: dice up a sesame seed bun and toast it or sauté it over the oven until they are golden brown and add to the top.
Storing cheeseburger soup
This cheeseburger soup is known for being delicious and everything good. I love the simplicity of this cheeseburger recipe and how delicious it is. It is a tried and true recipe that our family will continue to make over and over again. Another great thing about this cheeseburger soup recipe is that it makes a large amount of soup. Perfect for reheating, freezing or even sharing with others. Again, it is just that good!
When freezing this cheeseburger soup there are a few adjusts that need to be made. It is best to leave out potatoes because after being frozen they do become mushy. Also, it does have sour cream, cheese and a milk base. This kind of soup does not freeze well. It is best to enjoy your cheeseburger soup fresh! There are ways to freeze this cheeseburger soup recipe though and I am here to help with that.
- Storing cheeseburger soup: once your cheeseburger soup is completely cooled place your cheeseburger soup in an airtight container or ziplock bag. This will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days long. When ready to reheat you may need to add a little chicken broth if it is too thick.
- Can you freeze your cheeseburger soup? Yes, kind of. It is best fresh and made to serve. If you are needing to freeze this soup and are planning it from the beginning, I recommend leaving out the potatoes until you are warming it back up. Potatoes tend to go mushy when they are frozen in a soup. Once your soup is completely cooled, add your soup to a ziplock bag with excess air removed. Lay flat in your freeze. This will last about 1 month. Freezing too long can separate the soup leaving it hard to reheat and combine back together.
- How to reheat cheeseburger soup: It is best to reheat your soup on the stove top or in a slow cooker. No need to thaw your soup. Simply add the frozen soup to your pot and reheat on low stirring often. They will keep the soup from separating.
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Cheeseburger Soup
Equipment
- Alyssa Also Recommends:
- Want to make this even easier? Here are a few products that I LOVE:
- Calphalon Cookware Set
- Staub Cast Iron Skillet
- The Recipe Critic Measuring Cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed I used 16 ounce or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
- In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
- Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m picking with my soups and this is a good one! I will make this one again.
* I did add a little extra chicken broth than what was called for.
This soup was amazing!!!! The only change I made was adding a can of rotel tomato’s with jalepanos at the very end to add a little spice/acid to the soup! It was a hit with the family!
This recipe is a staple in our house. We use ground moose sausage in ours. Any ground sausage would work, I find that it really
adds to it more but we’ve done it with ground moose and it’s great as well.
Sounds yummy I cant wait to make it..
I don’t see how many potatoes in the ingredients?
It is 4 cups of peeled and diced potatoes. This will be about 4 or 5 potatoes.
How many people would you say this serves?
This will serve about 12 people or 12 bowls full.
I have made this exact soup for about 13 years now. Our family absolutely loves it. I am actually making it today for a family/friend soup get together.Mine was prepped last night and I threw it into a slow cooker, I’ll be cooking it on low for 6-7 hours. Only thing I do differently is I add shredded hash browns versus the potatoes. I found shredded cheddar/bacon cheese at the store that we will top it with. We don’t mix the sour cream into our soup we dollop it on top. We also top with cooked, crumbled bacon bits. Thank you for coming up with such a delicious, hearty, yummy recipe!
I don’t really like velveeta cheese. I see it says we can use shredded cheeddar. I’m just wondering if it changes the consistency or taste or anything ?
It won’t be as thick but it will taste delicious!
I used shredded cheddar cheese and it was plenty thick, in fact, it was so thick I added a little extra milk.
My soup is too thick after letting it sit overnight. Can I add water to it?
Yes, or even a little bit of milk will help.
Have you tried this in a slow cooker?
Yes, this works well in a slow cooker. Just brown your meat ahead of time and mix in with the slow cooker to cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
I loved it just the way it was written and also added a few cloves of garlic! Awesome! The sour cream is such a great tangy addition!
If you freeze it, does the milk separate when it thaws? I made a different soup that I froze and added the half and half later when heating up. Does milk separate like half and half or cream? So many questions. Trying to make up soups and freeze in individual servings so hubs won’t get sick of the same thing meal after meal when he’s post op.
If you slowly warm up the soup it will separate a little but by stirring it, it will blend back together. You will just want to keep it on low heat when reheating. You can also leave out the half and half and add it later to make sure it does not separate. Hope that helps! Enjoy!
I have made this recipe many times and LOVE it. Do you have recommendations on how I could make ahead and freeze it??
Yes, go ahead and make it ahead of time. Let it cool and place in an airtight container that you can store in the freezer up to 1 month.
Delicious….I wouldn’t change a thing!! Thank you for another tasty recipe. I have tried many and they are all family favorites now!!!
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so glad that you enjoy it!
Is this soup freezable?
Yes! This makes a great soup warmed up!
Is it still good without the sour cream? We don’t like sour cream.
The sour cream will not have a flavor in the soup. It is more for thickening the soup. You are welcome to leave it out, it may alter the soup though.
I don’t like sour cream, however like someone else mentioned it is basically to help thicken.
I made it tonight without sour cream and it was delicious!