Cheeseburger Soup

This recipe has been a family favorite since the very first time I made it. Everyone loves it, which is rare. It's a great go-to for entertaining or a quiet evening at home. (What? You don't serve soup to guests? You really should.)
Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb. hamburger
3/4 c onion
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c celery
1 tsp each basil and parsley
4 T butter
3 c chicken broth
4 c potatoes
1/4 c flour
8 oz cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c sour cream

First you'll want to brown the hamburger. And while it's frying, it's a good time to chop carrots, onions, and celery. If you toss things into a food processor it makes short work of it all. I'm all about taking short cuts.



When it's sufficiently browned, carefully scoop out the burger, leaving behind the grease. You'll want to saute the vegetables that you just chopped in that pan. Don't stress over frying in grease - it's no better or worse than butter or oil. For real. Plus it's saving those other ingredients for another recipe.



When the veggies are softened a bit, mix them with the meat and add the chicken broth. Chop potatoes and toss in as well. And it's a good time to add in the basil and parsley, too.



Turn the heat waaaay down low and simmer that stuff until the potatoes are soft.



While the concoction is making a soup of itself, it's a great time to clean up dishes. Multitasking. It's what women do.



When the dishes are done and the potatoes are soft and delicious, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and dollop in the sour cream.



Put the flour in a cup and add enough milk to stir it into a thin paste. This is best done with a fork, or a tiny little cup-sized whisk. This prevents flour clumps in the soup.



Add the remainder of the milk and the cheese to the soup, as well as the flour mixture. Yum, cheese. The original recipe calls for American or Velveeta, but we're huge fans of cheddar here and it's what we love. Feel free to experiment. Or add more. We do that, too.



Getting the kids involved is always a good idea. They are good at stirring things well, which is good because there's a lot of stirring to do at this point. You don't want the cheese to stick to the bottom. And the flour mix needs distributed evenly.

When it's done, it'll look much like this.



And now you just need to enjoy it.