Cheeseburger Soup

In theory, fusion dishes like Cheeseburger Soup (components of a cheeseburger—ground beef, bacon, and cheese—made into a soup) shouldn’t work. But it does! The soup is cheesy, beefy, and completely soul-warming. 

This soup has beef and cheese in it along with onions, celery, and potatoes. It can be on the dinner table in about 45 minutes—very doable on a weeknight. 

How to Make Cheeseburger Soup

This is a soup that benefits from cooking the ingredients in the right order. While it isn’t difficult, you can’t just toss everything in a pot and hope for the best! To make this soup:

1. Brown the bacon and the ground beef. Skipping the bacon? Add a little more olive oil since you won’t have the rendered bacon fat to cook the beef. 
2. Add potatoes, onions, celery, and Italian seasoning and let them sweat for a few minutes. 
3. Stir in the flour (this will help thicken the soup) followed by beef stock and milk. Simmer the soup over low heat until the potatoes are tender. The starch in the potatoes help thicken the soup and give it some body. 
4. Finally, add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese! Do not boil the soup once you add the cheeses. You’ll end up with curdled, grainy soup instead of a creamy soup. Keep the heat low and slowly melt the cheeses. You’ll be well-rewarded!

Variations on Cheeseburger Soup

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

• Instead of bacon, brown some finely diced mushrooms. 
• Add a can of mild or hot green chilis and use Monterey jack cheese instead of cheddar cheese. 
• Caramelize the onions before browning the beef for a savory onion flavored soup.
• You could use Velveeta to thicken the soup, but I prefer cream cheese and cheddar. They give the soup a rich, cheesy flavor and creamy base. 
• Top the soup with croutons to mimic a cheeseburger bun.

Make Cheeseburger Soup in a Slow Cooker

Make this in the slow cooker! However, don’t just throw everything in the slow cooker and hope for the best. 

Take the time to brown the bacon and the beef separately and add it to the slow cooker with veggies, seasonings, and liquids. Set the slow cooker on low heat and cook it for five to six hours. Stir in the cheeses at the very end. Thicken the soup by cooking a roux separately and stirring it into the slow cooker near the end of cooking.

Serve with Toppings

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

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in the fridge up to four days. This soup will congeal when it chills. Reheat it in a pot over low heat with a splash of water. Do not microwave it—the dairy will break and the soup will get grainy. 

While some people say you can’t freeze dairy-based soups, this one actually freezes okay. Freeze it in small batches so that you can reheat only what you will serve on the stovetop over low heat. That way you don’t need to reheat leftovers again and again. 

Ground Beef in Soups are Yum!

• Instant Pot Taco Soup
• Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili
• Easy Hamburger Soup
• Slow Cooker Taco Soup
• Chili Con Carne