Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger soup is the family favorite.  So favorite, in fact, that it has been requested as “the last supper” for our exchange student and was the must have recipe for my son on a mission.

This soup is hearty enough for a meal.  Most soups require a lot more with it to be filling, but not this one.  A nice slice of homemade bread or a roll and you have a meal.

First, two disclaimers:

1.  The small lens to my camera was dropped and broken, so these pictures are with the long range lens which means I had to stand on stools, counters, and hang from the rafters to get photos.

2.  I am not a photographer.  Don’t plan to be.  I will do my best, but I don’t understand aperature, numbers, lighting, and such.  Hopefully, I will get better but being a photographer is not my lifelong goal.

This day I made cheeseburger soup for the scouts.  I think I 3 or 4 timesed it.   (Timesed must not be a word.  I’m getting a red line.  However, I’ve heard it said so much and being a Webster, I’m counting it!)  Bear that in mind as you chop and dice.  You will have less than I show in the pics.

What you’ll need:

Ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper, chicken broth, potatoes, milk, butter, flour, velveeta cheese, sourcream.

Here we go:

First, brown your ground beef in your soup pot.  (I’m lazy.  Like to confine my mess to as few pans as possible.)

While the meat is browning, begin dicing your veggies.  Since I have a lot of chopping to do, and I am lazy, I will throw mine in the food processor.  First, I chunk them up.

Then I throw them in the food processor.

There they are all diced fine.  I like to do mine small so picky people don’t have to deal with “chunks.”

If you’re meat is browned, drain it and leave it for a minute while you get the other ready.  Can’t you just feel the heat from that steam??  Please drop a few pieces of hamburger in your sink.  It will make me feel better. Thanks!

Chopping carrots.  You can either buy these match stick carrots if you are lazy (like me), like them chunky, or are in a hurry (that’s me, too).  I actually just threw these in the food processor, too.

All chopped up.

Now the celery.

Chop it up.

In the same pan you browned the meat in, melt your butter and add the chopped veggies along with your basil and parsley.  I used fresh parsley because my dried was low and I had fresh on hand.   I usually use the dried.   Saute until tender.

Add your chicken broth.

Then add your diced potatoes.  If you’re lucky and have help, then they can be dicing while you are getting the other stuff ready.  No one was home this day, so I diced after I added my broth.  I like my potatoes small and bite sized.  I slice them length-wise, then flip them and slice length-wise again, then dice OR

If you have four timesed the batch and have a lot to dice, you can use your handy dandy slicer to speed things up.

Add the diced potatoes to your pot along with your drained hamburger and bring it to a boil.  Cover the pot and let them simmer until soft, about 10 or so minutes.  Or about the time it takes to make your roux.

In another sauce pan, (sorry we have to dirty another pan here), melt your butter and add the flour.  Make sure your pan is well loved and used like mine.

Stir it until you have a paste.  Then add it to your soup pot and stir to thicken.

Make sure your pan is large enough or you may have to go grab your even LARGER pan and transfer the soup over.   I should have only 3 timesed this, but hey, I was worried about feeding hungry, cold boys…..

After you add your roux, add your milk.

Then dice up your cheese in chunks.

Add it to your pot and stir until it’s melted.  Add your sour cream last and stir until mixed in.

And TaDa!  You have your pot of Cheeseburger soup that is brimming close to the top, so you have to scoop some out into bowls for your married kids so that it doesn’t spill all over the scout leader’s car.  Especially when the scout leader is your hubby!

It should look a little more orangeish.  I think I didn’t get all the cheese in, but you will LOVE it!!

Hearty and delicious and perfect for a cold winter day or a Last Supper.

Cheeseburger Soup  Makes 4 servings  (which means I always double it!)