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Sometimes you just need a thick and creamy, indulgent soup that will warm and fill you up. Chicken noodle is great and comforting and all that, but that’s not what today’s soup is about; we’re looking for decadence and tons of flavor. Which is how this ridiculously addictive slow cooker cheeseburger soup came about. Now, we’ve done a slow cooker cheeseburger soup before, but we thought it was time to update it a bit, in regards to one ingredient in particular.
In our original version we used cheddar cheese, which is yummy and delicious, but doesn’t melt all that smoothly. We wanted an incredibly smooth base for our soup this time, so we decided to use (the relatively controversial) velveeta cheese. Using velveeta makes for a broth that is über smooth, without having to break up stringy bits of cheese or deal with milk fats that are in the process of being broken down. If velveeta isn’t for you, feel free to use any cheese you like, but just know that the consistency of the soup is amazing when you do use it.
Along with the velveeta, we used a roux to give this soup the thickness we were craving. This butter-flour-milk mixture gets stirred in near the end and let us tell you: do not skip this step. It makes the finished soup so yummy – without it, the dish wouldn’t be the same. With cheese and beef as the main ingredients – hello, cheeseburger linchpins – we added other soup staples like carrots, celery and onion to provide a nice depth of flavor and round things out a bit. If you love cheeseburgers or hearty soups as much as we do, then this soup is 100% for you. Try it out and see how much you love it.
Updated Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
Yield(s): Serves 8-10
30 minutes active; 4 hours inactive
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (16 oz.) package velveeta, cubed
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
- 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- bacon bits
- cheddar cheese, grated
Preparation
- Heat a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and cook ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned. Season generously with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
- Drain fat, then wipe out skillet with a paper towel. Melt butter in skillet, then whisk in flour. Cook roux for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown, then whisk in whole milk. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Place beef, along with onion, carrot, celery and potatoes in slow cooker and cover with chicken broth. Season with basil and parsley, the cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in refrigerated roux mixture, then add in cubed velveeta. Cover again and cook for another 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and soup is thick and smooth.
- Serve hot, topped with cheese and bacon bits. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Life In The Lofthouse
