Cheeseburger Soup

In this recipe

How to Make Cheeseburger Soup
Variations on Cheeseburger Soup
Make cheeseburger soup in a slow cooker
Serve with toppings
Storage Instructions

In theory, fusion dishes like cheeseburger soup (cheeseburger ingredients – ground beef, bacon, and cheese – made into a soup) shouldn’t work. But it does! The soup is cheesy, hearty, and absolutely soul-warming.

This soup contains beef and cheese along with onions, celery and potatoes. It can be on the dinner table in about 45 minutes – very doable on a weekday.

This is a soup that benefits from cooking the ingredients in the correct order. While it’s not difficult, you can’t just lump everything together and hope for the best! To make this soup:

Fry the bacon and ground beef. leave out bacon? Add a little more olive oil since you won’t have the rendered bacon fat to cook the beef.
Add potatoes, onions, celery and Italian seasonings and let sauté for a few minutes.
Stir in the flour (this will help thicken the soup), followed by the beef broth and milk. Simmer the soup over low heat until the potatoes are tender. The starch in the potatoes helps thicken the soup and give it some body.
Finally add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese! Do not boil the soup after adding the cheese. You end up with a curdled, gritty soup instead of a creamy soup. Keep the heat low and slowly melt the cheese. You will be well rewarded!

Variations on Cheeseburger Soup

You can add many of the toppings you would typically find on a burger to this soup. Here are some examples:

Fry some finely diced mushrooms instead of bacon.
Add a can of mild or hot green chiles and use Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar cheese.
Caramelize the onions before searing the beef for a hearty onion-flavored soup.
You could use Velveeta to thicken the soup, but I prefer cream cheese and cheddar. They add a rich, cheesy flavor and a creamy base to the soup.
Top the soup with croutons to mimic a cheeseburger bun.

Make cheeseburger soup in a slow cooker

Take the time to brown the bacon and beef separately and add to the slow cooker with the veggies, seasonings, and liquids. Set the slow cooker to low heat and cook for 5 to 6 hours. At the very end stir in the cheese. To thicken the soup, cook a roux separately and stir into the slow cooker towards the end of cooking.

Serve with toppings

Spice up the soup with some colorful toppings. I like to reserve some crispy bacon for topping along with chopped scallions and extra cheddar cheese.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days. This soup will solidify as it cools. Heat it up in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of water. Do not microwave – the dairy product will break up and the soup will be grainy.

While some people say you can’t freeze milk-based soups, this one actually freezes just fine. Freeze it in small batches so you can just reheat what you’re serving over low heat on the stovetop. That way you don’t have to keep reheating the leftovers.

Ground beef in soups are yum!

Instant Pot Taco Soup
Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili
Simple hamburger soup
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Chili con carne

preparation time
15 minutes

cooking time
30 minutes

total time
45 minutes

portions
6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
8th slices baconchopped into 1 inch pieces
1 lb lean ground beef90/10 blend
2 cups red potatoespeeled and diced
1 small yellow or White Oniongrated with large box grater
1 stem celeryrolled
1 teaspoon Italian spice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
2 cups whole milk
8th ounces cream cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheeseplus extra for garnish
Chopped spring onionsfor garnish

Cook bacon:

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is crisp and fat is drained, 6 to 7 minutes. Place about half of the bacon in a small bowl. It is used as a topping for the soup.
Roast the beef:

Set heat to medium. Put the minced meat in the pot with the cooked bacon and fry in the bacon fat. Using a wooden spoon, break up the beef into small pieces while it cooks, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn’t burn.
Add vegetables and spices:

Add potatoes, onions, celery, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft. It’s okay if the potatoes aren’t quite cooked through.
Thicken the soup:

Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly add beef broth and milk, stirring constantly. The soup should start to thicken slightly, but not as thick as a sauce.

When the soup is simmering, turn the heat down, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Scoop one out with a spoon and give it a try!
Add cheese:

Add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese over very low heat. Stir gently until both cheeses melt into the soup. Do not bring the soup to a boil once the cheese has been added. They’ll break and you’ll end up with a gritty soup.
Serve soup:

Once the cheese has melted, scoop the soup into bowls and garnish with the extra cheese, the set aside crumbled bacon, and scallions.

Did you like this recipe? Give us some stars below!