Cheeseburger Soup

Have you ever wanted the comfort of a cheeseburger but not actually wanted a burger?

Cheeseburger soup takes that same beefy, cheesy flavour and turns it into something warm, creamy, and much easier to eat with a spoon.

 

The first thing I notice with cheeseburger soup is how familiar it tastes.

There’s beef, plenty of cheese, a creamy broth, and that little bit of tomato running through it, so you get all those classic burger flavours without it feeling gimmicky.

I like leaving the beef quite chunky rather than breaking it down too finely because it gives the soup more texture.

The broth should be creamy, but still loose enough to actually feel like soup, not a bowl of melted cheese.

A little parsley on top is enough to freshen it up, and that’s really all it needs.

It’s simple, filling, and especially good when you want something cosy but a little different from the usual soup rotation.

 

 

Ingredients

• 500 g ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes
• 750 ml beef stock
• 200 ml double cream
• 180 g mature cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

A note on the cheese

Use a cheddar with some flavour.

Mild cheese will melt beautifully and contribute almost nothing else.

Mature cheddar gives you that proper savoury cheeseburger taste and stands up to the beef and tomatoes.

Freshly grated cheese also melts much more smoothly than the bags of pre-shredded cheese coated in anti-caking powder.

Those bags are convenient.

This is not their finest hour.

Instructions

• Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add the ground beef and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon.
• Let some of the beef sit against the hot pan long enough to develop dark browned edges.
• Drain off any large amount of excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
• Add the diced onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the smoked paprika, oregano, black pepper and salt.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute so it darkens slightly.
• Pour in the canned tomatoes and beef stock.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard.
• Stir well and bring the soup to a gentle boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Lower the heat to its gentlest setting.
• Pour in the cream and stir until fully combined.
• Add the grated cheddar in small handfuls, stirring after each addition until melted.
• Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper.
• Simmer gently for another 2 to 3 minutes without allowing the soup to boil hard.
• Stir through most of the chopped parsley.
• Ladle into bowls and finish with the remaining parsley.

 

 

 

Do not boil it once the cheese goes in

This is the one bit worth paying attention to.

Once the cream and cheese are in the pot, aggressive heat can make the dairy separate.

The soup does not need to bubble furiously.

It is already cooked.

At that stage you are simply melting the cheese and letting everything settle into one smooth broth.

Keep the heat low and stir gently.

If the soup thickens more than you want, add a splash of beef stock.

The tomatoes should still be noticeable

I like using canned chopped tomatoes rather than completely smooth tomato sauce.

The little tomato pieces give the soup more texture and stop it becoming one uniform creamy bowl.

You still get that rich orange broth, but every now and then you catch a soft piece of tomato alongside the beef.

It makes a difference.

If your canned tomatoes are particularly large and chunky, break them up slightly with the spoon while the soup simmers.

No need to blend anything.

Mustard sounds strange until you taste it

Dijon mustard is not there to make the soup taste mustardy.

It is there because cheeseburgers and mustard already understand each other.

A small amount adds acidity and makes the cheese taste sharper.

Worcestershire sauce does something similar for the beef.

Neither ingredient should stand out on its own.

If somebody takes a spoonful and announces, “Ah yes, Dijon,” you have gone too far.

I would keep the texture fairly loose

Some cheeseburger soups are thick enough to qualify as casserole.

I prefer this one properly spoonable.

The beef already gives it plenty of substance, and the melted cheese naturally thickens the broth as it cools.

If you make it very thick in the pot, it becomes even heavier five minutes later in the bowl.

A slightly looser finish gives you that creamy soup texture without making dinner feel like a challenge.

What to serve with it

Crusty bread is the obvious answer and probably the best one.

Garlic bread is even better if you have accepted that subtlety has left the building.

A simple green salad also works well because the soup is rich enough on its own.

Pickles on the side sound slightly odd until you remember what the soup is meant to taste like.

Then they make perfect sense.

Leftovers behave very well

This soup thickens noticeably in the fridge.

That is normal.

Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

When reheating, add a small splash of beef stock or water and warm it slowly over medium-low heat.

Do not blast it on high and hope for the best.

Cheese remembers.

Q&A

Can I use lean ground beef?

Yes.

If the beef is very lean, add a little olive oil before browning so the onions have something to cook in afterwards.

Can I use ground turkey instead?

You can.

The flavour will be lighter, so I would increase the Worcestershire sauce slightly and use a strong cheddar.

Can I use milk instead of cream?

Whole milk can work, but the soup will be thinner and slightly less rich.

Add it over low heat and avoid boiling.

Can I add potatoes?

Yes.

Add about 300 g of peeled diced potatoes with the stock and simmer until tender before adding the cream and cheese.

That will make the soup much heartier.

Can I freeze cheeseburger soup?

You can, although creamy cheese soups sometimes change texture after freezing.

For the smoothest result, freeze the soup before adding the cream and cheese, then add them after reheating.

Why did my cheese turn grainy?

The heat was probably too high.

Lower the heat before adding the cheese and add it gradually rather than dumping it all in at once.

Can I make it spicier?

Yes.

Add chilli flakes, diced jalapeños or a little cayenne with the smoked paprika.

Can I add bacon?

Absolutely.

Cook chopped bacon first, remove it from the pot, then use a little of the bacon fat to brown the beef.

Scatter the crispy bacon over the finished soup.