Best Cheeseburger Soup Recipe

What could be better on a cold night than a hearty bowl of soup? As far as we're concerned, absolutely nothing can beat an easy one-pot meal that warms you up from the inside out. Especially when it comes to one that is as flavorful as this cheeseburger soup. The recipe name may have you questioning the combination of the two foods, but trust us, it is a must-try!

With a warm vegetable broth base, added richness from the sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese, and plenty of nourishment from some meat and potatoes, think of this bowl of goodness as a deconstructed cheeseburger in soup form. Thanks to recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist, Kristen Carli, MS RD, here's the perfect meal for your weekly dinner rotation. Quickly whip this dish together in one big pot, sprinkle on your favorite toppings, and serve it with a side of warm toasted bread. It doesn't get any easier! 

Before you get started, gather up all of your ingredients. You are going to need salted butter, red onion, carrots, celery, ground beef, cubed potatoes, vegetable broth, whole milk, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, bacon bits, and green onions. You're going to start with a mirepoix (a sauté of diced onion, carrot, and celery) and then move on to add the meat and potatoes. Cheeseburger soup is a convenient one-pot dish, so all you need is a big pot and you're ready to get started.

Start off by making a mirepoix, which Carli informs us "is intended to create a base of flavor and aromatics for a recipe by lightly cooking diced vegetables with butter, oil, or another fat source." Set a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté the vegetables for about five minutes or until the carrots are tender and the onion is translucent.

Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Keep cooking it for about five minutes until the beef is no longer pink. Then, add the potatoes, vegetable broth, and milk and stir everything well. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Let this simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Check for doneness by poking them with a fork — if they're good and tender, the fork should slide into the potato easily.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add the sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper and stir to mix everything well. Let the ingredients in the pot cook for five minutes. This will allow the cheese to melt and let the rest of the soup warm up again after adding in the cold ingredients. While you wait these last few minutes, do yourself a favor — just cover the pot and walk away to keep yourself from jumping the gun and digging in too soon.

The extra toppings are what really make any bowl of soup especially delicious. This recipe calls for a couple of go-to toppings, but the possibilities are endless. Serve yourself up a generous scoop (or two) into a bowl and garnish with bacon bits, green onions, and maybe a dollop of sour cream or an extra sprinkle of shredded cheese. Customize your bowl with any other favorite toppings and maybe some hot sauce for a kick.

Any good bowl of soup deserves the perfect side of carbs, of course. Try serving it with a slice of crusty rustic bread which is perfect for dunking and sopping up the soup. Or, garlic bread, homemade rolls, or even a piece of cornbread are always great options. Adding a side of fresh crunchy vegetables to a bowl of soup is a great way to round out your meal with a little extra color. Try sliced carrot sticks, bell peppers, celery sticks, and cucumber rounds and enjoy.