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American

Cheeseburger Soup

Ground beef is cooked to 160°F with onion, then simmered with potatoes and finished with cheddar and mustard. Dill pickles on top make it taste like a burger in a bowl.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Servings
6
Difficulty
Easy
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Bowl of creamy cheeseburger soup with potatoes, cheddar, and diced pickles

Why you’ll love it

  • Browning the beef to 160°F gives the soup a burger flavor.
  • Potatoes thicken the broth along with a little flour.
  • Mustard and pickles keep the cheese from tasting flat.
  • The cheddar melts off a hard boil so it stays smooth.

Ingredients

Servings6

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Cook the ground beef and onion in a pot over medium heat, breaking the beef into crumbles, until the beef reaches 160°F, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds. Spoon off extra fat and set the meat aside.

  2. 2

    Melt the butter in the pot. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute.

  3. 3

    Whisk in the beef broth. Add the potatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

  4. 4

    Stir in the mustard, ketchup, and the cooked beef. Heat until the beef is still at least 160°F.

  5. 5

    Lower the heat. Stir in the milk and cheddar until the cheese melts. Do not boil.

  6. 6

    Ladle into bowls and top with dill pickles.

Pro tips

  • Shred cheddar from a block so it melts cleaner than pre-shredded cheese.
  • Dice the potatoes small so they soften in 15 minutes.
  • Add the pickles at the end so they stay sharp.

Easy substitutions

cheddar
American cheese
yellow mustard
Dijon mustard
dill pickles
pickle relish

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days.

Reheating

Warm on the stovetop over low heat until the beef reaches 160°F, stirring so the cheese does not separate.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
448
Protein
26 g
Carbs
32 g
Fat
24 g
Fiber
3 g

Moderate · Stovetop

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients