Disholicious

Who doesn’t love a good cheeseburger? It’s about as American as apple pie. Then there’s this soup. It’s warm, creamy, comforting and totally reminiscent of a good cheeseburger. I made this soup for dinner the other night and it was a big hit. Bill didn’t seem overly excited about it until he had a bowl…or two. Needless to say, the whole pot went quickly. I guess he liked it.

What makes this soup so good is the creamy base. It gives the soup it’s heartiness and makes for a very filling dinner. It’s a great soup to make on a cold night. It’s pretty simple to put together and the optional toppings makes it that much more tasty, letting you customize it individually. This was the first time I had made this soup for dinner and it definitely won’t be the last.

CHEESEBURGER SOUP

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 Lb Ground Beef
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3 Cups Shredded Cheese, medium, or sharp
3 Hamburger Buns, cubed
2 Tablespoons Oil
Pinch of Salt
1/3 Cup Butter
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Onion, minced
2 Stalks of Celery, minced
1 Cup Matchstick Carrots, roughly chopped
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Large Red potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Cups Beef Broth
3 Cups Half and Half or Milk
1 Cup Bacon, cooked and crumbled for garnish
1 Cup Shredded Cheese for garnish
2 Tablespoons Chives, minced

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare all of the vegetables.
In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and cook for 5 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the cheese, cornstarch and flour together.
In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and hamburger buns and sprinkle with a little salt, stirring occasionally until golden and toasted. Set aside.
In a dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt down. Add the garlic, onions, carrots and celery and stir occasionally until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the brown sugar, Worcestershire and cheese mixture. Quickly add the broth and cream and stir to combine.
Add the meat and potatoes and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Serve with cheese, bacon, chives and those golden buns.

Recipe from Oh Sweet Basil by Cade and Carrian Cheney