Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

This cheeseburger soup is made with juicy ground beef, melted cheese, crispy onions, salty bacon bits, and pickles if you want them!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheeseburger soup

Servings: people

6 slices bacon chopped (streaky bacon in UK)
450g / 1 lbs ground beef lean
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 stalks celery sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp plain / all purpose flour
1.25 litres / 5 cups This is an affiliate link.chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 This is an affiliate link.bay leaves
1 large potato peeled and cut into chunks
250ml / 1 cup single / light cream or half and half or oat cream for plant based
50g / 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (Leicester in UK)
Salt to taste

In a large pan or a soup pot fry the bacon until starting to get crispy, then remove to a separate plate and set aside till needed.
To the same pan add the olive oil and ground beef with a pinch of salt and black pepper and brown till no longer pink inside. Then move the beef to one side of the pan to free up space and add the chopped onion and celery with thyme, sauté over low heat for 5-7 minutes. Stir the beef once in a while to avoid burning. Then add the minced garlic and cook for a few seconds longer.
Now add the butter to the pan and let it melt, then sprinkle flour all over the beef and vegetables and stir to coat until the flour is no longer visible. (You can skip butter if your bacon and beef are fatty and there is enough fat in the pan to make the roux.)
Slowly add 2 cups(500ml) of chicken stock to the pan while stirring the entire time until you have a thick gravy like sauce. Now stir in the grated cheddar and allow it to melt into the sauce. Keep the heat low.
Transfer the mixture into a soup pot if you were using a pan previously. Now top it with the cubed potatoes, half of the bacon, bay leaves and the remainder of the chicken stock, bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer it covered over low heat for 15 minutes. Finally add the half and half or single cream and warm through for 1-2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Take of the heat and serve topped with the remaining bacon bits, grated cheddar and diced pickles if desired.