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My brothers did not believe my mother when she said her cheeseburger soup would taste exactly like a cheeseburger, and then they each ate three bowls of it. It was a supper for the end of the month, when there was one package of ground beef, a few potatoes, a carrot, some celery, an onion and a block of cheddar in the house. She browned the beef dark in the bottom of the soup pot, cooked the vegetables soft in broth, made it creamy with milk, and stirred in the cheese at the very end. A little mustard, and it tasted like a cheeseburger in a bowl. Six of us ate from that pot, and there was enough for lunch the next day.
Cheese soups have one way to go wrong, and it is the cheese. Dump a pile of shredded cheese into a boiling pot and it seizes into rubbery strings and leaves the broth grainy and oily. My mother had three rules: grate it yourself from a block, take the pot off the heat, and add it a handful at a time. Here is how to melt the cheese in so it never goes grainy, and how to get the deep browned cheeseburger flavor in a pot of soup.
Why this cheeseburger soup works
- Beef browned hard. A dark crust on the ground beef is where the griddle cheeseburger taste comes from.
- A butter and flour base. A simple roux thickens the soup so it is creamy and coats a spoon, and it keeps the cheese suspended.
- Cheese grated from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch so it does not stick in the bag, and that coating makes it melt grainy.
- Cheese off the heat. Cheddar melts smoothly below a simmer. Boiling makes its proteins tighten and squeeze out fat.
- Mustard. A little yellow mustard tastes like the burger stand and also helps the cheese stay smooth.
Ingredients
Makes about 6 big bowls. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the soup
- 1 pound lean ground beef (450g)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced small
- 2 celery ribs, diced small
- 4 cups peeled, diced potatoes, 1/2 inch cubes (about 600g)
- 3 cups beef broth (720ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or parsley
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (55g)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (360ml)
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated from a block (225g)
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g), optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
To serve
- Extra shredded cheddar and sliced green onion
- Dill pickle slices or chopped pickles on the side
Use sharp cheddar for the most cheeseburger flavor. Mild cheddar melts well but tastes flat in soup. Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes both work; Yukon Gold hold their shape a little better.
How to make cheeseburger soup
- In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, breaking it up with a spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beef is deeply browned in places and the onion is soft. Spoon off any extra fat, then tip the beef and onion into a bowl.
- Add the carrots and celery to the same pot with a splash of the broth and cook for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
- Add the potatoes, the rest of the broth, the basil and the browned beef. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking, without letting it brown.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and keep whisking until it comes to a gentle bubble and thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir the thickened milk into the soup pot and let it come back to a bare simmer for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Take the pot off the heat. Add the grated cheddar a handful at a time, stirring each handful until it has melted before adding the next.
- Stir in the mustard and the sour cream, if using. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot with extra cheddar and green onion on top and pickles on the side.
Tips that make the difference
- Never let the soup boil once the cheese is in. If you reheat it, do it slowly over low heat, stirring.
- Cut the potatoes all the same size so they finish cooking together.
- If the soup is thicker than you like, thin it with a little more warm milk or broth.
- Let the grated cheese sit out while the soup cooks. Room-temperature cheese melts more smoothly than cold.
Variations
- Burger stand flavor. Stir in a spoonful of ketchup with the mustard for the full burger stand taste.
- Slow cooker. Put the browned beef, vegetables, potatoes and broth in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours, then stir in the thickened milk and cheese at the end.
- Cheeseburger macaroni soup. Swap half the potatoes for a cup of small pasta, added for the last 10 minutes.
- Spicy. Add a diced jalapeno with the carrots and use pepper jack for half of the cheddar.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often, and never let it boil.
Cheese soups can turn grainy in the freezer. If you want to freeze it, freeze the soup before the cheese goes in, then add the cheese after reheating.
The soup thickens as it sits. Loosen it with a splash of milk when reheating.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my cheese soup turn grainy?
The soup was too hot when the cheese went in, or the cheese was pre-shredded. Take the pot off the heat and add cheese grated from a block a handful at a time.
Can I use chicken broth?
Yes. Beef broth gives a deeper, more burger-like flavor, but chicken broth works fine.
Can I make it with ground turkey?
Yes. Brown it well and add a little extra salt, since turkey is milder.
What do you serve with cheeseburger soup?
Toasted rolls, crackers, pickles and a green salad. Some families put a spoonful of ketchup on top.
Brown the beef dark, keep the cheese off the boil, and set out the pickles. Then see whose brothers ask for a third bowl.
Old-Fashioned Cheeseburger Soup (Ground Beef, Potatoes and a Smooth Cheddar Broth)
Old-fashioned cheeseburger soup: browned ground beef and onion, potatoes, carrots and celery in a creamy cheddar broth with a little mustard, the cheese melted in off the heat so it stays perfectly smooth.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced small
- 2 celery ribs, diced small
- 4 cups peeled, diced potatoes, 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or parsley
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated from a block
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g), optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Extra shredded cheddar and sliced green onion
- Dill pickle slices or chopped pickles on the side
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, breaking it up with a spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beef is deeply browned in places and the onion is soft. Spoon off any extra fat, then tip the beef and onion into a bowl.
- Add the carrots and celery to the same pot with a splash of the broth and cook for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
- Add the potatoes, the rest of the broth, the basil and the browned beef. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking, without letting it brown.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and keep whisking until it comes to a gentle bubble and thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir the thickened milk into the soup pot and let it come back to a bare simmer for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Take the pot off the heat. Add the grated cheddar a handful at a time, stirring each handful until it has melted before adding the next.
- Stir in the mustard and the sour cream, if using. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot with extra cheddar and green onion on top and pickles on the side.
