Cheeseburger Soup
Cheeseburger Soup is the ultimate comfort soup. Chock full of seasoned ground beef, potatoes, onions, and of course, cheese all in a creamy soup!
A HEARTY, BEEFY, CHEESY, FILLING SOUP
I have been in a soup sort of mood lately. My mind is gradually turning to all things fall. Football games, apple picking, hay rides and warm, comforting soup. This Cheeseburger Soup is definitely what I would call comfort soup. It is thick, filling and is a whole meal all by itself!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We enjoy eating cheeseburger soup with some thick crusty bread to dip into the soup. Also, a small side salad would be perfect with this soup.
Bacon is my favorite but we also enjoy sliced green onions and a dollop of sour cream.
Yep! I have an actual recipe for Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup if you’d like to check that one out. But basically, you’d want to brown and crumble the ground beef first. Then pop all the ingredients in a 5-6 quart crock pot, cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours. About an how before serving, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and heavy cream.
I mention it a bit more in the ingredient listing below but I would skip the hamburger seasoning and use a no salt seasoning blend. In addition you can use a heart healthy version of the cheddar cheese soup and a no sodium (it may just say unsalted) beef broth.
Yes. However, when it is eventually reheated, it may not have the exact same texture as it did when it was freshly made. Potatoes can become mushy when frozen then reheated. It’s important to ensure this is stored in a freezer-safe bag or container. Only freeze once the soup has cooled completely.
Note: I recently updated this recipe because I got so many complaints that the original recipe used Velveeta. Apparently A LOT of people really hate Velveeta – ha! Anyways, I put the original recipe below since many of you wondered where the old recipe went after I changed it. How come none of y’all commented that you liked it?? When you don’t comment positive things about a recipe and I only hear the negative then I assume no one likes the recipe and it is time to change it and go back to the drawing board. So please, please comment in the future when you like a recipe on my site or else I have no way of knowing if anyone is enjoying a recipe or not. 🙂 For those who enjoyed the original recipe, here you go:
Ingredients:
▢ 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
▢ 2 carrots, peeled and grated
▢ 1 small onion, chopped
▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
▢ 1 ½ cups water
▢ 1 Tablespoon beef bouillon granules (about 4 cubes)
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
▢ 2 ½ cups milk (divided use)
▢ 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
▢ 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
▢ ½ pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
Instructions:
1. Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease and set aside.
2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 3. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.
4. Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and remaining ½ cup milk until smooth. Gradually whisk into soup.
6. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly (so mixture does not burn.)
7. Reduce heat; add cheese and stir until completely melted.
8. Garnish with bacon and serve.
If the soup is too thick, you can add a bit more water or beef broth.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- bacon
- lean ground beef
- hamburger seasoning – you can just use salt and pepper if you don’t have this. I just use the Hamburger Seasoning by McCormick (not an affiliate link.)
- garlic – I prefer fresh garlic but you can use the jarred stuff if you need to. Or you can use about 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
- cheddar cheese soup – if you have any salt sensitivities, I would recommend using a low sodium version (non affiliate link) of this. It is usually called “heart healthy”. You can leave out the cheddar cheese soup if you don’t have it. But if you need help finding it in the store, it can be found where all the other soups are (usually near the cream of chicken soups).
- beef broth – again, if you are concerned at all about salt levels, of with a low or no sodium option. You can always add salt but you can’t remove it.
- potatoes O’Brien (with onions and peppers) – you will sometimes see this go by a few names but they are just frozen diced potatoes. I got the Ore Ida brand (not an affiliate link). They may also be called southern hash browns (not an affiliate link) or just diced hash browns (not an affiliate link). When I think of hash browns, I think of shredded has browns but every store seems to have their own names for these things but you want the frozen diced potatoes (even if they don’t have the onions and peppers, that’s ok. Or, if you don’t want to use frozen potatoes, you can use peeled and diced russet potatoes.
- shredded cheddar cheese
- heavy cream – this adds wonderful richness to this but you can use milk in a pinch.
- additional toppings: shredded cheese and/or sliced green onions
HOW TO MAKE CHEESEBURGER SOUP:
Cook the bacon in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat until crispy. Depending on how crispy you like your bacon this can take 8-15 minutes. Remove the bacon to a large plate with clean paper towels and allow to cool.
Add the ground beef and hamburger seasoning into the bacon grease. Brown and crumble for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Drain off and remove all the excess grease. Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the ground beef, sautéing for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add in the cheddar cheese soup, beef broth and hash browns and gently stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until the hash browns are heated through, about 7-10 minutes.
Crumble the bacon well and then add half to the soup, reserving the other half for topping. Once the soup and potatoes are heated through, add in the cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, stirring well to melt and combine it with the soup.
After all the cheese has been added, slowly stir in the heavy cream and then bring the mixture just to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Do not boil or the cream may curdle.
Remove from heat and serve topped with bacon. Optional: top with additional shredded cheese and sliced green onions.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Recipe originally published: October 2011
Updated and republished: October 2024
Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package bacon
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons hamburger seasoning (or just season with a little salt and pepper)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 10.5 ounce can cheddar cheese soup (can use low sodium)
- 2 cups beef broth (can use low or no sodium)
- 5 cups O'Brien diced potatoes with onions and peppers (you do not need to thaw first)
- 8 ounce block medium cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Optional toppings: chopped green onions and/or extra shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat until crispy. Depending on how crispy you like your bacon this can take 8-15 minutes. Remove the bacon to a large plate with clean paper towels and allow to cool.
- Add the ground beef and hamburger seasoning into the bacon grease. Brown and crumble for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Drain off and remove all the excess grease.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the ground beef, sautéing for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add in the cheddar cheese soup, beef broth and hash browns and gently stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until the hash browns are heated through, about 7-10 minutes.
- Crumble the bacon well and then add half to the soup, reserving the other half for topping.
- Once the soup and potatoes are heated through, add in the cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, stirring well to melt and combine it with the soup.
- After all the cheese has been added, slowly stir in the heavy cream and then bring the mixture just to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Do not boil or the cream may curdle.
- Remove from heat and serve topped with bacon. Optional: top with additional shredded cheese and sliced green onions.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can probably get 8 servings out of this if you serve a smaller amount per serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
My all time favorite was/is my mom's Chicken and Rice casserole with cheese sauce. Mmm so good. Next in line is her Tuna and Noodles.
Lori
wifeofcop83@yahoo.com
My favorite meal is southern fried chicken with white gravy and mashed potatoes ,green beans and a fresh salad with homemade bread! Followed by a fresh baked apple pie Yummy!
Beef & noodles, mashed taters, green bean casserole with my apple pie for dessert….we rarely have all that though ~ with a hubby that milks cows, we eat too late for all that food 😉
My Mother's Italian Pot Roast. We always serve it with spaghetti. It's my all-time fovorite. She fixed it for me on every birthday.
Very simple "gravy" studded with carrots and mushrooms. It's making me hungry just telling you about it!
My 11 year old son and I love to make Chicken Piccata together. It's a family favorite!!!
My favorite home cooked meal is country fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. The recipes you have been posting from this cookbook look so delicious. I hope I win!!!
My favorite food is fried pork chops with bone in. Mashed potatoes with pork gravy. Creamed corn and chunky applesauce. I believe it's my comfort food from my childhood.
Thank you..
chateaudumichelle@gmail.com
Our family favorite is an ever-changing thing. Right now it is fish tacos. But now that I have discovered your blog (thanks to the FoodBuzz Top 9 ) I am sure we will find something that will win us over and replace those. Your recipes make me feel at home! Thanks for sharing!
My mom's lasagna and garlic bread are my all time favorite meal. She even made it when my husband and I opened our gifts after our wedding day.
Andrea D.
short74717@msn.com
My very favorite meal is my moms chicken and dumplings. I have tried for years to make this but I don't even come close to my moms. She has been gone for a long time and I still miss her every day. She made her dumplings big and soooo fluffy they would melt in your mouth! Thank you for all of these great receipes. Mirlin
mirlindobson2@gmail.com
Thanks so much for the opportunity of winning this book!!
My very favorite homecooked meal is a beef roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and cucumbers and onions. When I was growing up my Polish/German/Russian Aunties fixed the cucumbers with cream and vinegar. We didn't have cream so Mom always made it with mayo and vinegar and that's how I make it…Love It!!
My favorite home cooked meal would have to be roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and homemade rolls on the side!!! eatcakefordinner@digis.net
Mom's giant meatballs and gravy with Mashed potatoes.
Marilyn
Murf_2@ameritech.net
It's funny but my all time favorite would be hand rolled (not with the machine) noodles, with chicken, green beans, and good old home made yeast rolls! My mother in law made the best noodles! I love all of your recipes! They sure help to keep our meals from falling into a monotonous routine! Thank you!!
ldbk@comcast.net
Hamburger gravy with mashed potatoes
my bunch like dishes like tater tot casserole, hash, or taco soup
I agree with mooneye above. Slow-cooked pot roast is my all time fave!
Just the smell of it simmering all day is heavenly. Melt-in-your-mouth yumminess!
My favorite all time is our handed down recipe of Hungarian Chicken Paprikash….my Great Grandmother from Hungary made it…my Grandmother made it…my mother made it now I make it…yumm….ciao4now64@yahoo.com
We've had something of a cold snap in Austin with a high of only 90 today! Woke up to cool 50's! So, soups are definitely in our future and I printed this one out right away. My favorite home cooked meal is Pizza Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a fresh veggie. But, pretty much anything with cheese gets my vote (: Thanks for the recipe!
My favorite meal growing up was fried chicken with macaroni & cheese, made by my grandma. Tammy, tamwash (at) yahoo.com
My favorite home cooked meal is Home Made Chicken Noodle soup made by my husband. He makes the best! Whenever anyone is sick, he makes his soup for us. He even made it up ahead of time one time before he had surgery so he could recoup on his soup!!1snowmanlover2@yahoo.comThanks for the chance for the great cookbook! Love Gooseberry Patch!!
Oh, I've had a soup like that and it was incredible!!!! My favorite home-cooked meal is Thomas Keller's fried chicken. It's brined with lemons and all kinds of herbs then dunked in buttermilk and seasoned flour and fried up. It's the best fried chicken I've ever had! Kate@kateiscooking
Fried chicken, mac n cheese, green beans, and biscuits…..yum!!!!
My favorite homecooked meal would have to be Fried Ham, Fried taters, and Green beans 🙂
Meggs♥
urbakinmecrazyy@aol.com
My favorite homecooked meal is chicken etouffee served over a HUGE pile of fresh-cooked fluffy white rice…
Now that I've said that, I'd like to say what perfect timing this cheeseburger soup recipe is! We had a BBQ Saturday and we have about a dozen leftover burgers, about 8 oz. of leftover homemade Velveeta + Rotel queso and a couple of jalapenos still hanging on our plant in the garden. AND some leftover cooked bacon for our burgers.
Dinner tomorrow! I've stuff out for a Liberty Tree tavern pot roast tonight.
My favorite homecooked meal is fried pork chops and homemade gravy. Cheeseburger soup looks yummy! I would love to have this cookbook!
Tiffany
tiffany-mayberry@att.net
Hands down, no questions asked it is Cottage Pie with fresh Zucchini Bread for dessert. Perfection on a plate… lol.
My favorite homecooked meal is a long-simmered pot roast with carrots soaked in the beef broth and potatoes added near the end. Fresh rolls, crisp salad and a glass of homemade sweet tea. Yum!
My favorite meal would be my aunt's fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, sliced fresh garden tomatoes, homemade yeast rolls and german chocolate cake. Oh my, wish she were here to make it again…I miss her dearly.
Fried fish, sweet potato fries, slaw and blueberry cobbler with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.
My favorite is what I call soup steak with mashed potatoes. My mom would make round steak slow cooked with a can of cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup. Growing up we got to pick what we would have for dinner on our Birthday and this was always my pick. SO simple yet SOOOO good!
Trishap1973@yahoo.com
My favorite home cooked meal has to be Homemade Chicken and Noodles. I remember my grandma making this whenever we had a family gathering. She would make the noodles by hand and I remember her rolling them out on a huge cutting board and cutting the noodles with the biggest butcher knife I had ever seen. She passed away over 20 years ago and I always think of her whenever I make this recipe.
My mom has always made this yummy dinner that she calls "Heavenly Hamburger." It's the only dish that I can remember eating a lot as a child and she still makes it for us today. I've tried to make it for my family, but my mom makes it better.
Krissy – kbmint@otelco.net
My fav homecooked meal is meatloaf, mashed pot, gravy, baby carrots and dinner roll. jeanne doje71@comcast.net
Oh this soup sounds WONDERFUL! My favorite homecooked meal would have to be a good ol' Pot Roast, mashed potatoes and gravy with rolls. Mmmm!
My favorite home cooked meal would have to be chicken and home made egg noodles. My grandma used to make the noodles and hang them to dry all over her kitchen. Those were fun times.
Kim
ki.barnes@att.net
My favorite would be my best friend's mom's fried chicken dinner. It was the very best fried chicken I have EVER had. I think it was because SHE made it. It cannot be duplicated!
When I think of favorite meals, I always think of my mother's cooking. I adored everything she made and it's difficult to choose a favorite. I think I would say fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, sliced tomatoes w/onions & cucumbers, rolls and iced tea.
xo
Pat
When I think of home cooked meals I think of my grandmother and her chicken and dumplings and blackberry cobbler. Or her meatloaf and rice pudding. Or her fried fish and sheet cake….man I am sooo hungry!!! Wonderful giveaway and thank you!
My favorite meal is fried chicken!! I still haven't perfected it, but that's my favorite! I can't wait to try this Cheeseburger soup!
Julia
julialo@insightbb.com
Cheesy homemade macaroni and cheese most definitely!
-Britt T.
brittany_tucker@aol.com
The recipes you have posted from the cookbooks look so yummy! I need to try them. My favorite home-cooked recipe is by far my Grandma's chicken and dressing. In fact I made it for my family this weekend and it didn't last very long! It brings back so many find memories of family meals at Grandma's and it a wonderful comfort food.
Jennifer C. jcampbell3595@yahoo.com
It's funny, my favorite home-cooked recipe was not my favorite when I was little, but now that I am grown up it takes me right back to memories of my mom. She passed away 2 years ago this month and so it is all the more valuable to me for that reason. It had no name when I was growing up but a few years back we decided to call it "man stew" because all the men we knew loved it. I still need to write it down because it is one of those "in your head" recipes. Gooseberry Patch is something she loved, so I hope I get to try some of these great recipes! 🙂 Heather C. hebshops@gmail.com
You should share it with us all when you get it down in writing!
One of my all time favorite meals is Home made chicken and noodles!
I used to love watching my grandma roll out noodles and remember how I would make many mnay trips to the kitchen just to look at them spread out on her giant wood noodle board while they dried….dwmarks33@comcast.net
It would have to be fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn & homemade rolls!
Gooseberry Patch books are always great!
Our family favorite meal is a big turkey dinner with all the fixin's. We only have it once, maybe twice, a year. That's one of the reasons why it seems so special. I've been looking for a good cheese based soup for a while now, I think I'll give this a try 🙂 TY!
~Jodi
sunflower827@mail.com
Chicken casserole, sour cream biscuits, mashed potatoes, cream-style corn, and butterscotch pie for dessert! Heather B, jolleygirl75@hotmail.com
I've been wanting to make cheeseburger soup for a while now. It looks so good! I think that my all time favorite home cooked meals changes pretty frequently. Right now it's chicken fried steak, pepper gravy and mashed potatoes.
My favorite meal especially in the fall is hamberger stew and cheese buscuits.
Mmm, I think our favorite meal just might be biscuits & gravy…for breakfast or supper! 🙂
lori.a.ferguson at gmail.com