Loaded Cheeseburger Soup

It's a soup, and it's a cheeseburger – what else could a comfort food lover want? This loaded cheeseburger soup recipe from food stylist and recipe developer Michelle McGlinn is a meal in a bowl, combining the warmth and richness of a creamy soup with the taste of a cheeseburger.

"Hamburger soup is essentially a creamy potato soup with ground beef," McGlinn says. "You could also think of it as a cheeseburger with fries — and truthfully, it actually does taste like it, especially with the croutons." If you love creamy soups with potatoes and hamburgers, and you would like to get dinner on the table in under an hour, this recipe needs to be in your weeknight rotation.

Like an actual cheeseburger, you can customize this recipe to suit your tastes. You can switch up the seasonings, toppings, and cheese. You could top the soup with tomatoes and pickles, like a burger, and/or experiment with an herbier or smokier seasoning mix. When it comes to experimenting with cheese, McGlinn suggests trying sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese, but suggests staying away from Swiss. "I wouldn't recommend using Swiss, even if you love mushroom Swiss burgers. That funky Swiss flavor will not work well in this soup," she says.

To make this loaded cheeseburger soup, you'll need 1 pound of lean ground beef, butter, chopped celery stalks, a yellow onion, and 4 minced garlic cloves. You'll also need ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 large russet potatoes, 4 cups of stock or water, and 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, salt and pepper, and heavy cream.

And you can't have a cheeseburger (soup) without cheese, so you'll need grated white cheddar and grated Monterey Jack cheese. If you've made hamburger soup before, you may be surprised to see a cheese other than cheddar in this recipe, but McGlinn prefers to use white cheese. "Usually hamburger soup is made with cheddar because cheeseburgers are thought of as an American cheese/yellow cheddar situation," she says. "If I get cheese at all, it's going to be white cheddar or Monterey Jack!"

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Slice the hamburger buns into 1-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Toast the hamburger bun croutons for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are crunchy. Once the croutons have been sufficiently toasted, remove them from the oven and set them aside.

Although making your own croutons may feel like an extra, unnecessary step, McGlinn says that they are worth it. "The croutons are a must, in my opinion, and are very easy to make," she says. "Just pop them in the oven and toast until crispy, no oil needed. You can of course use any bread for this, but hamburger buns are cutest!"

Brown the beef in a large pot or dutch oven. Crumble the beef into large chunks as it cooks. Once the beef has browned, remove it from the pot. Melt the butter into the pot, and add the onions, celery and garlic. Cook the vegetables until they have softened, or about 2to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the vegetables and stir until the flour has been completely absorbed and the vegetable mixture is thick.

Add the cubed Russet potatoes to the pot along with the stock or water. If you need more stock to completely submerge the potatoes, go ahead! Add the dried rosemary and bring the pot to a boil. Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender, or around 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the heavy cream and stir it into the pot. Remove the pot from the heat, and then it's time to quickly add the cheese and ground beef while the soup is still hot. Stir the cheese into the soup until it has completely melted, and then add the ground beef. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Serve this loaded cheeseburger soup with the prepared croutons. "This is a meal in itself, but it can be paired with leafy lettuce salads like a garden salad, grilled portabella mushrooms, or dinner rolls," McGlinn says. Leftovers stored in an airtight container should last up to 1 week in the refrigerator.