Cheeseburger Soup
Updated November 19, 2025
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Ready In
- 35 min
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups beef broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups shredded yellow Cheddar, plus more for serving
Chopped scallions (optional), for serving
Diced tomato (optional), for serving
Crumbled cooked bacon (optional), for serving
Sour cream (optional), for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
30 grams carbs; 119 milligrams cholesterol; 669 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 47 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 3 grams fiber; 1092 milligrams sodium; 32 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small pieces, until just barely pink, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and set aside; pour off any fat.
- Step 2
Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium. Add the diced onion, celery, carrot, minced garlic, mustard powder, paprika and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the onion is just softened and everything is fragrant.
- Step 3
Adjust the heat to medium-high, then stir in the broth, potatoes and reserved beef; cover to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are just soft when pierced with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until light tan and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add milk and continue to whisk until thickened, making sure no lumps form, 4 to 5 minutes more.
- Step 5
Add the milk mixture to the pot along with the shredded Cheddar. Stir until the cheese is incorporated and the soup is fully warmed through and creamy, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Keep warm over medium heat until ready to serve. Serve topped as desired, with shredded Cheddar, chopped tomatoes and scallions, crumbled bacon and sour cream. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
Private Notes
Comments
Kinda crazy but added diced pickle as a garnish at the end and it was fantastic!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! My son loves cheeseburger soup, but I'm always finding "mid" recipes online and trying to make them less dense, cloying, or ... velveeta-ish. Made this as written (except subbed chicken broth for beef) and it just tasted like a hearty soup made of real food. We all loved it.
This is my perfect soup!
This was really tasty! I doubled the spices and used the Better than Bouillion roasted beef base for the stock. I also cut up two onions instead of one and grilled up one of the onions to add the flavor of grilled onions, which I love on cheeseburgers and added a nice flavor. Next time I think I’ll cut up a small onion for the mirepoix and a big one to grill and add. I also omitted the olive oil and cooked the veggies with the little bit of fat left from the beef. I used 85/15 so there wasn’t a ton left.
Don’t be afraid to add some pickle brine in with the beef broth for all the pickle lovers out there!
Made as directed except I used a combo of havarti and Colby cheese because that’s what I had. I also used 93 % lean ground beef so there wasn’t any fat to pour off. The soup came out ok but I’m glad I had ALL the toppings because they were essential to amp up flavor. In my notes for next time I will season the ground beef and brown it longer to develop some caramelization for flavor. I will add more spices and season the roux possibly with mustard and Worcestershire. The diced pickles or cornichons really hit the spot as a topping too, don’t skip them. I also wonder if some beer might deepen the flavor as it does in beer cheese soup. All in all a good base to work from.