Beef

Cheeseburger Soup

Name: Cheeseburger Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained; 1½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes; 2 carrots, diced; 2 celery ribs, diced; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 teaspoon dried basil; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 1 cup milk; chopped green onions, for topping

dumpmeals.com/recipes/cheeseburger-soup/

Browned ground beef, potatoes, carrots and celery slow-cooked in broth, then finished with cheddar and cream cheese.

A computer-made picture of the finished dish, not a photo of this recipe.

Serves: 8
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: Low 6 to 8 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours
Slow cooker: 6-quart

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Cheeseburger soup tastes like a cheeseburger and fries in a bowl: browned ground beef, tender potatoes, carrots and celery in a hearty, cheesy broth. One pot feeds a crowd.

The beef is browned and drained first, and the vegetables cook in broth all day. The cheese goes in at the end, with cream cheese and a little milk, and melts in about half an hour on high. Added at the start, the cheese would break and turn grainy over the long cook.

Top each bowl with chopped green onions, a little extra cheddar, or chopped dill pickles for the full cheeseburger effect. Serve with crackers or warm bread. Leftovers thicken as they cool; reheat them on the stove with a splash of milk until hot all the way through, without letting it boil.

Ingredients

Into the slow cooker

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon black pepper

Near the end

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk

To serve

chopped green onions, for topping

Directions

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until it reads 160°F on a food thermometer (no pink is not proof). Drain off the fat.
Put the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the browned beef.
Pour in the broth and add the basil and pepper. Stir.
Cover. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the cream cheese, cheddar and milk. Cover and cook on high 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once, until the cheese is melted and the soup reads at least 165°F.
Ladle into bowls and top with green onions.

It's done when the potatoes are tender, the cheese is melted, and the soup reads at least 165°F after the cheese and milk go in. The ground beef was cooked to 160°F before it went in. Check with a food thermometer.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F), not in the slow cooker. Slow cooker safety

Cooking for two

Use 1/2 lb ground beef, 3/4 lb potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 celery rib, half the onion, 1 garlic clove, 2 cups broth, 1/2 teaspoon basil and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; at the end, 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup milk. Use a 3-quart slow cooker so it is at least half full. Start checking the potatoes at 5 hours on low or 2 1/2 hours on high.

More in Cooking for two in a slow cooker.

Tips

Cut the potatoes small and even so they are all tender at the same time.
Shred your own cheddar from a block if you can; it melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.

Food-safety sources

Safe Cooking Temperatures, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension (UNL Food). Checked November 1, 2026.
Slow Cookers and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Checked November 1, 2026 (address from a search result; the page itself blocks automated checks).