Creamy Hamburger Soup (with Velveeta Cheese)

When the weather cools down, and the leaves start to turn, you know it’s time to break out the soup recipes, and this hearty and rich Cheeseburger Soup is one of my absolute favorites!  I’m a big fan of burgers, and I’m always looking for new ways to satisfy my cravings in interesting and creative ways, like my Crockpot Cheeseburger Dip or Homemade Cheeseburger Casserole. 

Enter Cheeseburger Soup, which may be the best cheeseburger-inspired dish yet!  It’s the very best of comfort foods–it’s delicious, creamy, and packed with chunky potatoes, carrots, ground beef, and plenty of cheese.

This loaded Cheeseburger Chowder is a true crowd-pleaser.  It’s family-friendly and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner when time is tight, and everyone’s hungry! 

Why you will love this hearty dinner

Ingredients

• ground beef – as noted below in our variations notes, ground beef can be substituted for ground turkey, ground Italian sausage or even ground chicken if desired. That being said, although we do encourage experimentation when it comes to cooking, we recommend you stick with a sirloin/beef or sausage for the best and most rich flavor profile. 
• chopped celery – because celery is a crunchy veggie, its best to make sure this is chopped down well to encourage softening in the soup. 
• chopped onion – I use white onions because they tend to go the best, but the slightly sweet flavor of a yellow onion is a great addition or substitute. 
• matchstick carrots – these types of carrots are already thin sliced and cook the quickest. 
• potatoes – Cubed potatoes could be common Russet potatoes or white new potatoes. No need to peel skins unless you choose. Remember that if the chunks are too big, they are not only hard to eat but take longer to cook to tender potatoes, so its best to chop down into about 1/2 inch pieces, doing your best to keep them even so they cook at the same rate. 
• seasonings: dry basil, dry parsley flakes, salt & ground pepper
• beef broth – Beef broth is a perfect base, brining the rich flavor of beef bones and vegetables into the cheesy base. While it may be tempting because most people keep this staple in the pantry, I do not recommend changing out beef broth for chicken broth. 
• Velveeta cheese – it is really hard to duplicate the melt of Velveeta cheese for creamy hamburger soup. You can most definitely use other cheeses in place of, but its important to understand that regular shredded cheeses can break apart to a big greaser and harder to balance. I do not recommend substituting this main ingredient unless you are an at home kitchen whiz. However, shredded cheeses DO make a gorgeous and extra cheesy topping prior to serving. 

How to make Cheeseburger Soup

1. Add ground beef, celery and onions to a large soup pot.
2. Heat saucepan on medium high heat browning hamburger beef, cooking onions and celery. Drain excess grease and return mixture to pan.
3. Add shredded carrots, cubed potatoes, dry basil, dry parsley and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Pour in beef broth and mix well. 

5. Cover creamy potato hamburger soup and heat on medium high for about 8-12 minutes cooking time or until potatoes are tender.
6. Reduce heat to low and add cornstarch slurry.
7. Stir in cheese and cups milk and continue to mix until cheese is completely melted. 
8. Serve all that cheesy goodness topped with fresh parsley and bread for dipping. 

FAQs

Expert Tips

• To be sure your milk doesn’t curdle when you add it in, take a few ladles of delicious soup and put them in a separate bowl.  Allow it to cool for a minute or so, then slowly add your milk.  If curdling starts, stop adding milk and stir in a little bit of flour, and allow the soup to cool a bit more.  Once all the milk has been added, slowly combine with the remainder.
• For a thicker broth, reserve 2 cups of broth/vegetables before adding your beef.  Blend with a little cornstarch until thick and creamy and add the creamy broth back into the pot.
• Prior to serving, top soup with crispy bacon pieces and shredded cheddar cheese. This comforting chowder will probably be the best hearty soup you try this week! 

Variations

• Cheese: Instead of Velveeta, try cheddar, smoked gouda or even pepper jack cheese.  Whatever cheese you choose, you’ll want to pick a style that will melt well. As noted above, cheeses can be delicate and harder to work with so this tip is for an experienced cook. In general, most families will want to stick with the simple and tested melt point of Velveeta and one of its different flavors.
• Milk: Add sour cream along with the milk for a thicker broth.  You can also substitute half the milk for heavy cream for a richer flavor.  Or, ditch the milk altogether and instead add pureed cooked cauliflower for a creamy, healthier base.
• Add bacon!  Who doesn’t love bacon on their burger?  Well, it tastes just as good mixed into hearty Cheeseburger Soup.  I suggest using 1/2lb to 1lb bacon.  Crumble and cook separately, draining excess fat.  Stir into the soup with the cheese and mix well before serving.
• Garlic: Everyone loves a bit of garlic powder or minced garlic, so if that is on your every day cooking list, just add a bit into the step while the hamburger beef cooks. 
• For the most creamy of creamy soups, melt in a half a block of cream cheese. 
• While tender ground beef is my favorite choice when it comes to cheeseburger soup, you can easily substitute beef with ground turkey or ground chicken. The ingredients go relatively well with both and the cheesy soup seems to do fine with both flavors. It just goes from a traditional hamburger soup recipe or creamy cheeseburger soup recipe to something a bit more custom and creative. 
• Heat: Looking for a bit of heat? Sprinkle in some pepper flakes, cayenne or a dash of Franks red hot to dance on your tongue. If serving a crowd, just add pepper flakes and Tabasco on the side. 

Related Recipes

 Try some of my other favorite recipes:

• Creamy Tomato Bisque
• Sausage and Black Bean Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Lasagna Soup