Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

If you’ve ever eaten a bacon cheeseburger and thought to yourself, “You know what self, I would really love to eat a soup one day that tastes just like this bacon cheeseburger. It would be so delicious. Just so magical.” Then you are in for a real treat because your wish is coming true today. This soup brings my two favorite dishes together, burgers and soup into one comforting dish, and while it might sound a bit crazy, believe me when I say that it’ll be your new favorite thing to make. It’s hearty, filling, and the true definition of comfort food. If it’s unbearably cold where you’re at right now, and you’re reading this and you’re questioning whether or not to make this soup for dinner, then the answer is yes. You deserve it. Whip up a batch today and save the leftovers for later in the week, your future self will thank you for it. 

The first thing you want to do is cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, and then discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the ground sirloin and cook until browned. Transfer to separate plate. 

**Note: If beef is too heavy for you, or you just don’t eat red meat, you can totally make this with ground turkey or chicken instead! Just call it a bacon chicken or turkey burger soup!**

Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. While the veggies cook, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to pick up all of those browned bits from the beef and bacon. Browned bits = FLAVOR.

Stir in the potatoes and tomatoes, and cook for another 3 minutes.

**Note: I used red potatoes here, A. because I didn’t want to peel them and their skins are thin so it’s perfect. But feel free to use Yukon gold potatoes or russet if you want to peel them (but you don’t have to peel them either).**

Return the beef to the pot and season with salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, ketchup and mustard. The ketchup and mustard give the soup that authentic burger flavor. It’s amazing, I promise. 

Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes have softened, about 15 minutes. Then stir in the whole milk and bring back to a simmer. 

**Tip: Whole milk makes this soup very hearty and comforting, but if you’re put off by using whole milk, feel free to use skim instead!**

In the meantime, let’s make a roux. Melt some butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for about 30 seconds until the raw flour taste goes away. Stir the roux into the soup and cook until the soup has thickened. 

Remove the pot from the heating stir in the shredded cheese and bacon, but make sure to keep some of the bacon off to the side for garnish later on. Stir until the cheese has melted through and the soup is silky.

**Tip: It’s important to remove the soup from off the heat before adding the cheese so that it doesn’t curdle.**

Give the soup a taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Serve the soup in bread bowls, because bread is crucial to a bacon cheeseburger. Get it? But regular bowls are okay too. 

I like to garnish the soup with some more shredded cheese, some of that reserved bacon, shredded lettuce and a mini pickle. All of these are crucial components to make the soup taste just like a cheeseburger. I also sprinkle the top with sesame seeds because of sesame seeds on a bun. BOOM. 

**Tip: Shredded iceberg lettuce in a hot soup might sound weird BUT be open towards it because it is actually really good. It’ll change your life.**

 
You need to make this soup as soon as possible because it’s cold and treacherous out there and it’s the perfect weather to gorge on comfort food to soothe us. I’m really excited about this recipe because it’s incredibly delicious, so I hope you’ll give it a try for yourself!

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup is just what you need to make for dinner this chilly week! A cheesy soup made with potatoes, ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce and of course, bacon!

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon diced
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 medium or 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 4 red potatoes diced
• 3 roma tomatoes diced (divided)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese plus more for serving
• 4 mini bread bowls optional
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1/4 cup mini pickles

Instructions

• Place a large heavy duty pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer the bacon onto a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the ground sirloin and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the beef has browned, and is no longer pink. Transfer the beef onto a separate plate.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, ketchup and mustard. Stir in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the butter in a saucepan until melted through. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds. Add to the soup along with the milk and cook until the soup has thickened. Remove the soup from the heat, and add the cheese and bacon (reserving some for the garnish), stirring until it has melted through. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings accordingly, adding more salt or pepper as needed.
• Serve the soup in bread bowls, or just regular bowls, and garnish each with more shredded cheese, bacon, lettuce and a pickle. Enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite