Cheeseburger Soup

There is nothing like a hearty bowl of soup to warm the bones and your soul in the dead of winter. I make a lot of soup in the winter, a big batch and my husband and I are set for a couple of day. We take it along for our lunches and we have it for dinner. It is also very cost effective because you don't have to make more food for awhile. 

Some folks don't like leftovers for too many times in a row, but I feel like you can keep the soup and switch up what you eat with it and it remains delicious and satisfying. Maybe at lunch have a nice piece of fruit and at dinner you can add a salad or some kind of bread and it is not the same old thing. 

The other good thing about most soups is that you have most of your food groups right there, there isn't much thinking about what you still need if you add a piece of fruit for dessert. 

Today I want to share one of my most favorite soup recipes with you. I like to make it when our kids come home for dinner and then we have the leftovers the next couple of days. I also like to send leftovers home with the kids. I purchase those quart size deli containers and lids at Gordon Food Services and keep them on hand for when the kids come home. They are a nice and inexpensive way to send food home with them and nobody has to worry about returning anything. 

Cheeseburger Soup

2 lbs hamburger

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 1/2 cup diced celery

4 1/2 cups chopped potatoes

1- 14 oz can chicken broth

2 cups water

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

3 cups Velveeta Cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and onions. 

Cook vegetables in water and chicken broth until tender. Maybe 8-10 minutes after they come to a boil. (I use shredded carrots rather than chopped.} 

Mix hamburger/onion mixture with un-drained vegetables.

Make white sauce with butter, flour and milk, add Velveeta Cheese to white sauce and stir constantly until all the cheese is melted. 

Make sure your hamburger/vegetable mixture is simmering good and then add cheese sauce to the pot and stir until fully incorporated. Do not allow the soup to come to a boil after cheese sauce is added, but make sure it is hot through and through before serving. 

A caution with salt, the Velveeta Cheese has a lot of salt, so taste the soup before adding too much salt. I like a good amount of black pepper though. 

Let me know how you liked it, if you make it.