Creamy Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
A thick, creamy, one-pot cheeseburger soup with ground beef, tender potatoes, and two kinds of melty cheese. Extra flour and a few mashed potatoes keep it creamy instead of brothy.
Servings 8
Calories 545kcal
Equipment
- 5 to 6 quart pot or Dutch oven with a lid
- Wooden spoon
- Potato masher (optional) optional
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 85/15
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (skip if using regular salted broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- yellow onion , diced
- 2 carrots , peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs , diced 1/4 inch (optional)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth , unsalted or low-sodium
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and diced 1/2 inch (about 4 cups)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 ounces American cheese (about 6 slices), torn, or Velveeta, cubed
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar , shredded (about 2 cups), plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Toppings: sliced green onions and dill pickle slices (optional: crumbled bacon)
Instructions
Instructions
- Set the pot over medium-high heat and add the ground beef, salt, and pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains. Set aside about 1/2 cup of crumbles for topping. If there's more than about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot, spoon off the extra.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and ground mustard and cook 1 minute.
- Add the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until no dry flour remains.
- Slowly pour in about 1 cup of the broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot until smooth. Add the remaining broth and the Worcestershire.
- Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Mash about a quarter of the potatoes with a potato masher (or against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon) and stir.
- Stir in the milk and heat gently for about 5 minutes, until steaming. Do not let it boil hard.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the American cheese until melted, then add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful melts. Do not let the soup boil once the cheese is in.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste and add salt only if needed. Thin with a splash of milk if you'd like.
- Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved beef crumbles, extra cheddar, and any optional toppings.
Notes
- Salt: With unsalted broth, the 1/2 teaspoon with the beef was all it needed. With regular salted broth, skip that salt and taste at the end.
- Cheese: Any American cheese works, including Velveeta. Shred your own cheddar if you can; bagged shreds can make the soup a little grainy.
- Lactose free: Use lactose-free whole milk and lactose-free sour cream. Aged cheddar and butter are naturally very low in lactose.
- Crock pot: Brown the beef and vegetables and make the roux in a skillet, then cook with the broth, Worcestershire, and potatoes on LOW 6 to 7 hours or HIGH 3 to 4. Mash some potatoes, add the milk for 20 minutes on HIGH, then stir in the cheeses and sour cream on LOW.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. It thickens a lot overnight. Freezing isn't recommended, because the dairy can separate and turn grainy.
- Reheating: Warm on the stove over medium-low with a splash of milk, stirring until it loosens up, or microwave in short bursts with a splash of milk, stirring in between. Don't let it boil.
Nutrition
Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 761mg | Potassium: 882mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3387IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 510mg | Iron: 3mg
