This Cheeseburger Soup is not only SUPER flavorful, but it’s also good for you! But Shhh! Don’t tell the kids! They’ll think it’s just plain delicious!!
There aren’t very many meals in our household that the entire family can agree to love, but this soup is one of those little miracles.
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I don’t know if the fact that it’s called ‘Cheeseburger’ soup plays any part in that, but don’t let the name fool you. This soup is quite nutritious! It’s loaded with fresh veggies, and other hearty and wholesome ingredients… all packaged in a delcious comfort food that will make you smile.
Comfort Food That’s Healthy?
I know there are many, many differing opinions on what constitutes ‘healthy’, so let me tell y’all where I stand on that. To me, a healthy food is one that is as natural as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it is low fat, low carb, or low anything. But it is a natural food. Natural food nourishes the body in the way God intended. (That’s not to say that man has not messed up a lot of our ‘natural’ food, but that’s another story for another day.)
When I make this cheeseburger soup, I use fresh veggies, chicken stock made from bones of chickens we raised, milk, cream, and butter from our cow, and homemade sausage from deer meat that Farmer Jim has hunted and processed himself. So you can perhaps see how I feel that this is a very wholesome food for my family.
I totally understand that *most* people do not have access to those same raw/natural ingredients. (Although, stick around long enough and we may just talk you into being a farmer too! 😉) But there are still healthy and quality options available at the supermarket that can be used. I’m not necessarily a food snob, but I do *try* to buy quality ingredients whenever the budget can handle it.
But whether or not you want to count this as a ‘healthy’ meal, there will be little debate about just how DELICIOUS this soup is. It is so so flavorful–especially if you use sharp or extra sharp cheddar. And it is absolutely perfect for the coming fall weather. (Although… my family begs for this ANY time of the year. You KNOW it’s good when you’re having soup in the middle of a Texas summer. 🤣)
How to make Cheeseburger Soup
I’m not gonna lie… this is not a quick and easy meal. It’s a bit time intensive. You could definitely simplify by purchasing pre-cut veggies and using frozen potatoes. But for how much we love this soup, it’s worth it to me to put in the time scrubing, peeling, and chopping the veggies. The extra love really carries over into the deliciousness at the end.
So you’re gonna start by cutting and prepping all your veggies. You’re gonna just want to cut them into bite-sized pieces. No need to be super uniform in size, but don’t leave them in crazy big pieces either.
Then, in a large, heavy pot (I like to use our enameled dutch oven), brown the ground sausage. (You could easily substitue this with ground beef, or link sausage would also be fantastic.) Once browned, removed the sausage to a bowl, leaving the drippings in the pot. (If your sausage is quite greasy, you may want to line a plate with a paper towel so that it can drain a bit. But our sausage is decently lean.)
If the drippings are on the slim side, add a bit of extra butter (about another Tbsp). Then toss in the onion, carrots, and celery and saute them until slightly soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Next, add in the potatoes, seasonings, and stock. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to let it simmer until the potatoes are fork tender (roughly 15 minutes).
While that’s going on, we’ll go ahead and dirty up another pot to make our cream sauce. 😉 Start by melting the 4 tablespoons of butter and then adding in the flour. This makes a nice thick rue. You’ll want to whisk this constantly for about 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the milk while still whisking constantly and allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil. (It will be getting a lot more thick at this point.) Then add in the cream, whisk to combine, and remove from heat.
Once the veggies in the soup pot are nice and tender, pour the cream mixture into the soup and stir to combine. Add in the cheese (I like to use freshly grated cheese (versus pre-grated) because it melts a lot better) and stir until melted. Stir in the sour cream and add the cooked sausage back into the soup. And finally, give it a taste test to see if it needs any more salt or pepper. Adjust accordingly.
This cheeseburger soup would go wonderful with some fresh bread or rolls… or would be amazing in a bread bowl. Mmmmm!!! Now we’re talkin’! Enjoy. 😉
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Cheeseburger Soup
Equipment
- large heavy pot
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausage (ground or links according to preference)
- 4-5 Tbsp butter divided
- 2 cups carrots diced
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups celery diced
- 2 cups onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic (roughly 1 Tbsp)
- 4-5 medium russet potatoes chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth/stock
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a large, heavy pot (I prefer to use my ceramic lined dutch oven pot) brown your sausage over medium high heat, until fully cooked. Transfer the sausage to a plate or bowl and set aside, leaving any remaining grease in the pot. If there is not much grease still in the pot, add 1 Tbsp of butter and allow to melt.
- Into the same pot, add the diced carrots, celery, and onion. Saute until the onion begins to turn translucent and the veggies are slightly tender. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the potatoes, seasonings (basil, parsley, salt, pepper), and chicken broth/stock to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with the lid. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
- While the soup is simmering, make the cream sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute. It will get quite thick and clumpy initially, but then will start to spread as it heats and melts. Continue to whisk as you slowly pour in the milk. Whisk until smooth, then allow the sauce to cook and thicken, stirring regularly. After just a few minutes, the sauce should be thick. Add in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- Once all the vegetables in the soup pot are tender, pour the cream sauce into the soup and mix well to combine. Add the grated cheese and stir to melt. Stir in the sour cream, and then add the sausage back into the soup. Give it a taste test, and adjust any salt and pepper as needed. Serve and enjoy!
Absolutely delicious!! Followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out great. Will make again, the whole family loved it. Served with ciabatta bread from the bakery.
YAY Misty! So glad y’all enjoyed it! And ciabatta bread sounds like an awesome companion bread for this! Yum!!
I had this recipe made for me while recovering from delivery. I had to have the recipe and LOVED this so so much!!!
Awww that is so sweet, Shara! I don’t usually think of taking soup to people when taking them dinner (difficulty of transporting?), but that definitely makes me want to rethink my go-to. Soup is so comforting! Thank you for sharing! And blessings to you are your little one!
This looks amazing. I’m definitely gonna try this but make it gluten free.
Now this is a soup that I can actually get my husband to eat. This looks absolutely delicious. And it’s a big win when I find comfort food that is actually a healthier option. Great post
This sounds so delicious and like the perfect hearty meal for our cold weather!
Just printed this recipe and am going to add it to my meal plan for next week. Always love having a hearty new soup to try! Thank you!
Looks so good, I want to make it now! Great description of healthy food too!
My mouth is watering from how good this recipe looks and sounds! I will have to try making it this week. Looks so good!
WOW! This looks absolutely delish!! This soup looks perfect and I’m going to go eat a whole pot of it now lol!!