Cheesy Hamburger Soup essentially takes your all-American favorite and turns into a creamy soup that’s perfect for cooler weather. Lean ground beef and tender pasta in a creamy, cheesy soup will have you going back for bowl after bowl.
Cheesy Hamburger Soup
Cheesy hamburger soup is a hearty soup that can easily be thrown together in less time than it takes to get the grill out. This soup recipe is inspired by our reader favorite, Homemade Hamburger Helper! Made with your favorite hamburger flavors, seasoned ground beef is mixed together with macaroni pasta and smothered in a cheesy soup base. Top with some crispy bacon crumbles, freshly sliced green onions, and of course an extra sprinkle of cheddar cheese for the ultimate experience. Dip some crusty bread in to sop up any of the leftover soup, or maybe even some french fries?
Get into soup season with recipes like this filling and flavorful Taco Soup or this classic Ham and Potato Soup that’s great for using up leftovers.
Can I add vegetables into this soup?
Of course! The beauty of a classic cheeseburger is that you can dress it up any way you like! For something green try some celery, bell peppers, or jalapenos. Mushrooms would add some great texture and extra protein. And of course you can’t go wrong with some diced onions! You could even throw in some diced tomatoes.
How To Make Cheesy Hamburger Soup
- Brown. Cook the ground beef over a medium heat, crumbling it as it browns. Drain the excess grease before returning the pot to the stove.
- Stir. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, garlic and onion powder, seasoned salt, regular salt, and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Boil. Add the chicken broth and pasta to the pot and turn the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Temper. In a separate bowl, add a ladle or so of broth to the sour cream to temper. This prevents any curdling in the sour cream. Pour it into the pot along with the heavy cream.
- Simmer. Simmer for about 3 minutes before turning off the heat. If your soup is too brothy the cheese won’t have enough to stick onto to melt and will become a clumpy mess. To prevent this, you can ladle out the extra broth so there’s just enough to cover the pasta. Reserve it in case you need to add some back in at the end.
- Melt. Sprinkle in the shredded cheese a handful at a time and stir until melted. Continue with the remaining cheese. Once the cheese is fully melted you can add back in some of your broth if your soup has gotten too thick.
Storing Cheesy Hamburger Soup
Let this soup cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftovers will stay fresh for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the stove until warmed through.
I don’t recommend freezing this soup because of the sour cream and heavy cream. Dairy heavy recipes can separate during the freezing process and don’t thaw and reheat well.
Ingredients Notes for Cheesy Hamburger Soup
- Ground Beef – Opt for a leaner ratio when choosing ground beef to avoid lots of excess fat. You could substitute ground chicken or turkey as well.
- Condiments – Ketchup, dijon mustard, and hot sauce. These won’t make the soup taste completely like ketchup and mustard but the flavors are there enough to give some depth to the soup and hinting at those amazing cheeseburger flavors.
- Spices – Garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, table salt, and pepper. Feel free to experiment with your own ratios, you can always add more depending on your preferences.
- Chicken Broth – I like to use a low sodium chicken broth since there is salt in other areas. Beef broth would also work well or vegetable broth if you already have it on hand.
- Pasta – Macaroni pasta is my go to but any smaller shaped pasta will do. Shells, fusilli, ditalini, are all great options.
- Sour Cream – Be sure to let the sour cream reach room temperature as this helps prevent curdling when mixing with the hot broth of the soup.
- Heavy Cream – Half and half can be used but the soup may not be as thick as we want it.
- Cheddar Cheese – Freshly shred the cheddar so it melts properly into the soup.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Cheesy Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Lean Ground Beef
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce optional
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth***
- 2 Cups Uncooked Macaroni Pasta
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream at room temperature
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the beef in a soup pot over medium heat until browned, drain the excess grease, and return the pot to the stove.
- Stir in the ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, salt, and pepper, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken broth and pasta and turn the heat up to high.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Gradually stir a ladle of the broth into a bowl with the sour cream to temper it then pour it into the pot with the heavy cream.
- Let it simmer for 3 minutes and turn off the heat.
- If the soup is very brothy, ladle out and reserve enough broth in a separate bowl until there’s just enough in the pot to cover the pasta. (If the soup is too brothy, the cheese won’t have anything to stick onto and melt and will clump together or turn stringy when trying to stir it into the soup.)
- Stir in the cheese, a handful at a time until melted then serve with freshly sliced green onions and shredded cheese if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
