What can I substitute for ground beef?

You can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or even Italian sausage if you prefer. If the budget is tight, you can first make a batch of Stretched Ground Beef and then use 2 cups of that in this recipe.

Can you substitute Velveeta for the shredded cheese?

You can, but it’s not something I recommend because Velveeta cheese isn’t actually cheese. (Have you read the ingredient list?) If you don’t like sharp cheddar cheese, consider using pepper jack cheese, Swiss cheese, or Colby jack cheese. You can even stir in cream cheese!

How do you store cheeseburger soup? Can I freeze it?

Once the soup has cooled, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Repurposed spaghetti jars are great for this. You can freeze the soup too, once it’s cool. I recommend freezing in either quarts or gallons, depending on the size of your family. Be sure to reheat this soup before enjoying it as leftovers. This soup doesn’t taste that great at room temperature (unlike Zuppa Toscana ), so we don’t pack it for school lunches.

How can I cook cheeseburger soup in the crock pot?

To make crockpot cheeseburger soup, follow the same instructions as the recipe card below, but brown the ground beef in a skillet instead, drain the excess grease, and transfer the cooked ground beef to the slow cooker . Add everything else and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

Cheeseburger Soup - Frugal & Gluten-Free

Cheeseburger Soup

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My kids say this Cheeseburger Soup is award-winning – it’s their absolute favorite! Thick and hearty with ground beef, diced potatoes, and a creamy sauce – it’s affordable, gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and absolutely delicious!

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: serves 6
Category: Soup and Salad
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced onion, (1 lg)
1 cup diced celery (3–4 ribs)
1 cup diced carrots (4 med)
2 lbs potatoes (any), diced
½ tsp garlic
1–2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 (15 oz) can kidney or white beans or lentils (optional)
3–4 cups chicken broth
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup plain or spicy brown mustard
½–1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional toppings:

Crumbled bacon
Diced pickles
Additional cheese
¼ – ½ cup sour cream

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Instructions

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, brown the ground beef over medium heat. There’s no need to add any cooking fat. Use a potato masher to crumble the ground beef as it’s cooking.
When the ground beef is almost done, add the diced onion, diced celery, and diced carrots. Stir well and let the vegetables cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are softened.
Add the diced potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, beans, and 3 cups of chicken broth, and bring the soup just to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. The potatoes will absorb liquid as they cook, so check in about 10-12 minutes and add the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock if needed to cook the potatoes and/or thin the soup.
When the potatoes are fork-tender, add the ketchup, mustard, and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir well until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Notes

You can substitute with ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken. If the budget is tight, consider making one batch of Stretched Ground Beef and subbing 2 cups into this recipe. If you do this, skip step 1 of cooking, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan before adding the diced vegetables, and add the stretched ground beef with the potatoes.
You can use any type of potato. I typically don’t peel them first, but you can if you’d like. I recommend dicing to ¼” so they’re easy to eat in the soup.
The beans/lentils are optional but do help to stretch the soup. You can also use an additional one pound of ground beef if you prefer.
Substitute vegetable stock if you don’t have chicken stock.
I don’t recommend horseradish mustard for this recipe, but if you can find dill mustard, it’s absolutely fantastic!
I like to use sharp cheddar cheese, but any shredded cheese will work. Pepperjack would be great for a little bit of heat!

Nutrition

Calories: 337

Find it online: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/cheeseburger-soup/