Cheeseburger chowder is a delicious soup made with ground beef and cheesy broth. It’s easy and quick to make, comforting, and really tastes like a cheeseburger. It’s not overly heavy and makes a delicious dinner that the whole family will love!
You may also like our Salmon Chowder!
What is cheeseburger chowder?
Chowder is a dairy-based chunky and thick soup made most commonly with fish or seafood. This recipe is inspired by a cheeseburger so it’s made with ground beef, cheese, dill pickles, and bacon. I’ve heard about this soup on a tv-show ‘Blacklist’ and I had to try it! I’m very glad I did. It’s similar to a cheeseburger soup. My version is just a little bit lighter but still very very tasty!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious soup:
- ground beef – preferably lean
- onion, celery, fresh garlic
- dried parsley and oregano
- good-quality beef broth or chicken broth
- milk and heavy cream
- toppings: crumbled cooked bacon (you can cook it quickly on the stovetop or cook a larger batch in the oven) and thinly sliced green onions
- flour – thickens the soup – you can add more for a thicker soup but I prefer it moderately thick
- potatoes
- cheese – I used sharp cheddar and just 1 1/2 cups in order to not make this soup overly heavy, but if you’d like it creamier you can add Velveeta cheese (yellow processed cheese that dissolves more easily than cheddar and makes the soup more creamy)
- dill pickles and dill pickle juice – I really like them in this soup, they contribute to the ‘cheeseburger flavor’, I sometimes like to add more dill pickles than written in the recipe which turns this soup into meaty and cheesy dill pickle soup
How to make it step by step
STEP 1: Prepare the ingredients: Dice the onion and bacon, cut celery into thin slices, finely chop the garlic. Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes. Cut the dill pickle into small cubes. Shred the cheese on the large holes of a box grater.
STEP 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until browned and crispy. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
STEP 3: Increase the heat to high. Add the beef in an even layer, don’t stir for the first 1-2 minutes letting it brown, then cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until it’s no longer pink. Break up any clumps of beef. Transfer it with a slotted spoon or spider strainer to a plate.
STEP 4: Add another tablespoon of oil, onions, and celery. Cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the garlic, basil, and parsley, cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in flour and cook until incorporated.
STEP 5: Add the beef back to the pot. Add the broth, milk, heavy cream, and potatoes.
STEP 6: Bring to a simmer and cook over the lowest heat for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Make sure the soup is not boiling rapidly or it may split.
STEP 7: Add the cheese in 3 additions, stirring after each portion added until it’s melted (don´t add all the cheese at once or boil it rapidly or the soup may split).
STEP 8: Add the chopped pickles and pickle juice, if using.
Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
Garnish with cooked crumbled bacon and thinly sliced green onions.
Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
- garlic bread
- garlic parmesan knots
- green salad with vinaigrette
Storage
Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently warm up the soup but don’t boil it rapidly.
This soup doesn’t freeze well, I mean you can freeze it, but the soup will be just a little bit curdled. It actually still tastes really good but looks a little bit split. You can freeze it for up to 3-4 months.
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Cheeseburger Chowder
Ingredients
for the soup:
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 lb (450g) ground lean beef
- 2 medium onions
- 2 celery stalks
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 3/4 cups milk 480g
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or good quality beef broth
- 1 lb (450g) potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 medium/large dill pickle
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
garnish:
- green onions
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Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Dice the onion and bacon, cut celery into thin slices, finely chop the garlic. Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes. Cut the dill pickle into small cubes. Shred the cheese on the large holes of a box grater.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until browned and crispy. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the beef in an even layer, don’t stir for the first 1-2 minutes letting it brown, then cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until it’s no longer pink. Break up any clumps of beef. Transfer it with a slotted spoon or spider strainer to a plate.
- Add another tablespoon of oil, onions, and celery. Cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the garlic, basil, and parsley, cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in flour and cook until incorporated.
- Add the beef back to the pot. Add the broth, milk, heavy cream, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook over the lowest heat for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Make sure the soup is not boiling rapidly.
- Add the cheese in 3 additions, stirring after each portion added until it’s melted.
- Add the chopped pickles and pickle juice, if using.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Garnish with cooked crumbled bacon and thinly sliced green onions.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can sub 1 cup of milk for broth and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
2 Comments
Joyce
23 September 2024 at 16:23I’m not a fan of the pickles in it so I replace with diced green pepper. This is one of our family’s favorites. So good with crusty garlic bread!
Erin Espinosa
25 September 2023 at 21:07My families favorite things ng ( i add mushrooms and use pickle)