Lightened Up Cheeseburger Soup

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 35 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

4 cups peeled and diced Yukon gold or russet potatoes

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (see note for GF version)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (see note)

Chopped green onions or chives, sour cream, shredded cheese, for serving

Directions

In a 6-quart pot set over medium heat, add the ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink. Off the heat, drain excess grease.

Return the pot to medium heat and add the potatoes, broth, parsley, and mustard powder. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

To a blender, add the milk and flour and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the soup and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the soup has thickened.

Off the heat, add the cheese a handful at a time and stir until melted.

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed (important!).

Serve with chopped green onions or chives, sour cream and additional shredded cheese, if desired. The soup will thicken considerably as it cools.

Notes

This is similar to the cheeseburger soup I make but a bit easier since a separate roux doesn’t need to be cooked and vegetables are cooked with hamburger. To try it I would reduce the hamburger to 1/2 lb, increase celery to 3/4 cup, add 1 teaspoon dried basil, increase salt to 3/4 teaspoon, and add 1/4 cup sour cream after removing from heat like my recipe. I would mix the flour and milk in a shaker bottle vs blender and use rice flour. My recipe does not have the dried mustard but it is worth trying. She also uses sharp cheddar cheese which is worth trying.

Ground Beef: for a less meaty soup, the ground beef can be decreased to 1/2 pound.

Gluten Free Substitute: for a gluten-free version, sub 2 tablespoons cornstarch for the 1/4 cup flour (blend and add to the soup per the recipe).

Cheese: 1/2 of the cheddar cheese can be subbed for shredded Monterey Jack cheese, if desired (the cheese flavor will be less pronounced and the soup will be slightly creamier).

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving (about 2 cups
• Calories: 451 kcal
• Total Fat: 18 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Cholesterol: 87 mg
• Sodium: 591 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 38 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 34 g