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Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger soup is a creamy, cheesy one-pot dinner with browned ground beef and tender potatoes simmered in a cheddar broth. It thickens with a butter-and-flour roux for a hearty texture, then gets melted sharp cheddar and tangy sour cream.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Lean ground beef
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
Unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
Onion
  • 1 onion Diced.
Carrots
  • 2 carrots Shredded.
Celery ribs
  • 2 celery ribs Diced.
Dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
Dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
Chicken broth
  • 3 cup chicken broth
Russet potatoes
  • 1.5 lb russet potatoes Peeled and diced.
All-purpose flour
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour Use 1/4 cup.
Whole milk
  • 1.5 cup whole milk
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sour cream
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
Salt
  • 0.75 tsp salt Use 3/4 tsp.
Black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper Use 1/4 tsp.
Crumbled bacon
  • 1 crumbled bacon For topping (amount to taste).
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 diced tomatoes For topping (amount to taste).
Diced pickles
  • 1 diced pickles For topping (amount to taste).

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown and simmer the soup
  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef, breaking it up until cooked through, 8-10 minutes total; drain and transfer the beef to a bowl, leaving browned bits in the pot.
  2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in the pot, then cook the onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley until softened, 6 minutes, stirring so they don’t brown.
  3. Add chicken broth and diced potatoes, bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 12-15 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
  4. Return the browned beef to the pot and stir to combine.
Thicken and finish with cheese
  1. In a small skillet, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter, whisk in the all-purpose flour, and cook for 1 minute, until smooth and lightly foamy.
  2. Stir the butter-and-flour mixture into the soup and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
  3. Lower the heat to low and stir in the whole milk.
  4. Add shredded sharp cheddar a handful at a time, stirring each addition until fully melted and the soup looks glossy, 3-4 minutes.
  5. Stir in the sour cream, salt, and black pepper, and keep the soup from boiling so it stays creamy, 1-2 minutes.
Serve
  1. Ladle the cheeseburger soup into bowls and top with crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, and diced pickles to finish.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, add cheddar off a simmer by keeping the heat low and stirring until each handful melts before adding more. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of milk if it thickens. Freezing is not recommended because the dairy can separate when thawed. If you want a lighter version, use low-fat milk and reduced-fat cheddar to cut calories while keeping the same thick-and-creamy roux method.