Once school gets in full swing around here, and activities like basketball keep us busy in the evenings, the crockpot becomes a big part of keeping healthy meals on the table for us. Late nights and time crunch doesn’t allow for many leisurely evenings over dinner prep. One of our family’s personal favorites is cheeseburger soup. I thought at first it sounded a bit strange, but after trying it, I’ve passed it on to my mom where it’s become a favorite of theirs, and she’s passed it along to lots of other people, too. And it all started with a friend passing the recipe along from another friend of hers. I follow the basics and modified what I needed to for our family and using the crockpot. I know if you give it a try, there’s a good chance it’ll become one of your family’s favorites, too.
1 pound ground beef
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. shredded carrots
3/4 c. chopped celery
Brown the ground beef, along with the onion, shredded carrots, and celery in a pan on the stove over medium high heat. Carefully drain the excess fat and place in your medium to large sized crockpot.
3 c. chicken stock or broth
1-1/2 c. low fat milk (we use 2%)
2 c. peeled, cubed russet potatoes
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
Add the above ingredients to the crockpot and cook on high. After the crockpot brings everything to a simmer, be sure that it cooks for a good two hours. Check to see that the potatoes are tender using a fork to gently poke them.
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the soup in the crockpot. Replace the lid for five minutes. Stir the melted cheese into the soup.
3 T. butter
1/4 c. all purpose flour
In a small pan on the stove, melt the butter, then stir in the flour. Using a whisk, stir the mixture (called a roux) into the soup to thicken it.
1/2 c. sour cream
Before serving, stir in the sour cream. Serve with biscuits and your favorite crackers on the side. Makes 4-6 bowls, depending on serving size. I usually double the recipe to feed our family. I would recommend a total cook time of 4 hours on high, though cook times will vary with each crockpot.
Bonus – my secret to amazing “pop can” biscuits:
I love a great homemade buttermilk biscuit as much as the next foodie, but these days, I’m super short on time. So lots of times, I work to find easier options and tweak them just a tiny bit to get amazing results. The biscuits that I serve with our homemade soups (pictured in the photos of this post) are a great example. Pillsbury Grands all the way. One day, after I had to start upping the quantity that I made to feed the hungry boys, I decided I couldn’t be bothered with using two sheets to bake them on, so instead, placed them on the sheet with their edges touching, all crowded together. This actually forced the biscuits to rise up, instead of spread out. Watch closely the first time you try – you might have to slightly adjust your bake time to make sure that they cook all the way through. It was only after I’d tried on my own that I noticed that they have a note on the can about baking them this way. Too funny. Why not just tell us to bake them that way from the beginning? Oh, well! Happy making!
Leave a Reply