Cheeseburger Soup
When I was in my early twenties, I had just married and had very little experience cooking. My new husband and I began attending a small church where the ladies were pros at cooking crock-pot dishes for the potluck dinners. This cheeseburger soup appeared often, and someone finally shared the recipe with me. That was nearly thirty years ago, and I still make this soup as soon as the weather gets chilly. My kids grew up on this treasure and I’m happy to share it with anyone, as someone did with me many years ago.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
Cheeseburger Soup:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ pound ground beef
¾ cup chopped onion
¾ cup shredded or chopped carrots
¾ cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
5 tablespoon butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes (1/2” cubes)
¼ cup flour
8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 ½ cups milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Process
In a 3-quart pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook about 12 minutes until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. With a slotted spoon, remove beef to a plate and set aside. In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter, onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in broth, potatoes, and reserved beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour; cook and stir for 3 minutes, or until bubbly.
Add to soup; bring to a simmer and stir for 2 minutes, until soup has slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese, milk, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and serve.
