Easy Cheeseburger Soup

One pot, 30 minutes, and the whole family will be asking for seconds. This creamy cheeseburger soup has seasoned ground beef, tender veggies, and elbow macaroni all simmered together in a rich, cheesy broth.

The soup that does it all in one pot.

• This macaroni soup recipe combines all of the flavors you love of cheeseburgers and macaroni and cheese. It’s got all the same ingredients as your favorite burger, minus the ketchup and mustard, and add perfectly al dente macaroni noodles that boil right along with the other ingredients! It might sound like an odd combination, but I promise you the creamy, cheesy base combined with al dente elbow noodles and seasoned ground beef is a *chef’s kiss* bowl of delicious!
• One of the best parts about this soup is that it’s made with all real ingredients! No processed Velveeta cheese here! The creaminess comes from a simple roux made by coating the veggies in flour and then adding broth, heavy cream, and sharp cheddar.

Here’s what you’ll need.

Here’s how it all comes together.

COOK BEEF. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground beef, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Brown the beef, crumbling with a spatula until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

SAUTE AROMATICS. Heat butter in the same large pot over medium heat (no need to wipe out or drain the grease). Sauté onion, carrots, and celery, along with a large pinch of salt and pepper, in the same pot over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce heat, add garlic, oregano, and thyme, and cook for another minute.

ADD FLOUR. Then add flour and stir to coat veggies. Cook for one more minute, stirring frequently.

DEGLAZE THE POT. Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pot, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.

ADD THE REST. Stir in the remaining chicken broth and macaroni noodles along with another pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.

SIMMER. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

MAKE IT CREAMY. Stir in heavy cream and shredded cheese.

FINISH + SEASON. Then add the white balsamic vinegar and cooked ground beef back into the pot.

SEASON + SERVE. Heat the soup over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until the beef is heated through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve soup with sesame seed bun croutons and garnish with green onions and shredded cheddar cheese, and enjoy!

Hamburger bun croutons. Yes, really.

• A fun way to complete the cheeseburger theme in this soup is to make crispy, crunchy croutons out of sesame-seed hamburger buns. You can use my super simple homemade crouton recipe as a guide.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place sesame seed bun cubes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and whatever seasonings you’d like – I love dried oregano and garlic powder – and toss to coat evenly. Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy on the outside.

Potatoes or noodles, you decide.

• You can totally swap the noodles for diced potatoes if you prefer!
• I’d recommend Russets or Yukon Gold.
• Dice them into uniform-sized 1/2″ pieces and add them instead of the noodles.
• Simmer, COVERED, for 10-12 minutes or until they’re fork-tender.
• Then continue on with the recipe, and it’s business as usual.

Wait, no Velveeta?

• There is a time and place for Velveeta, and you know that growing up in the Midwest, I ate plenty of it as a child!
• And while it’s a non-negotiable in things like my easy Rotel dip, it just isn’t necessary in this creamy cheeseburger soup.
• With that said, if you’ve got a block to use up, you are more than welcome to replace the sharp cheddar in this recipe with Velveeta.
• Just remember that Velveeta has less flavor than sharp cheddar, so you will need to add more salt to taste. You may also want to add a couple pinches of mustard powder.

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

• Shred your own cheese. Freshly shredded cheese melts better and gives you a much smoother, creamier texture. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose to prevent clumping, which also prevents it from melting properly. You’ll end up with a grainy, clumpy soup instead of a silky one. It takes an extra five minutes, and it’s absolutely worth it.
• Don’t add the cheese while the soup is too hot. If the soup is still simmering when you stir in the cheddar, it will seize up and turn grainy. Pull it off the heat first so it can cool a bit before stirring in the heavy cream and cheese.
• Salt at every step. The ingredients in this recipe are simple, which means seasoning as you go — when you brown the beef, when you sauté the veggies, when you add the broth — makes a huge difference in the final flavor. Taste before serving, and don’t be shy with the salt!
• The soup will thicken as it sits. The macaroni keeps absorbing liquid even after it’s done cooking, so what looks perfectly saucy in the pot will be noticeably thicker after 10 minutes on the table — and even more so the next day. Just add a splash of broth or cream and stir over medium heat to loosen it back up.
• Cook the pasta to al dente, not beyond. It will continue cooking in the hot broth even after you pull it off the heat, so if you let it go too long in the pot, you’ll end up with mushy noodles. Pull it when it still has just a little bite.

Cook once, eat all week.

• Because the noodles are cooked right in the pot, this soup is going to thicken considerably when made ahead of time, and the noodles will continue to soak up moisture as it sits.
• If you want to make this soup ahead, I recommend cooking the noodles separately and then combining the soup with the noodles just before serving so that the consistency stays smooth and creamy and the noodles aren’t mushy.
• If you’ll be enjoying this soup right away, however, this won’t be a problem!

Freeze it for an easy week of dinners next month.

• One important caveat: the macaroni doesn’t freeze well.
• If you want to freeze this soup, either cook the pasta separately and freeze just the soup base, or make the potato variation, which freezes beautifully.
• Let the soup cool completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or cream to loosen it up.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Just in case you have leftovers.

• STORING: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. As mentioned above, the noodles will continue to soak up moisture as they sit. However, the soup will still be delicious after a day or two in the fridge!
• REHEATING: Reheat soup in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. You will likely need to add a splash of broth or cream to loosen the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Top it like a cheeseburger.

The best part about this soup is playing it up like an actual cheeseburger in a bowl. Here’s what we love on top:

• Sesame seed bun croutons: My personal favorite because it just feels right. Instructions are in the recipe card.
• Crispy bacon: Because bacon cheeseburger soup is even better than regular cheeseburger soup.
• Dill pickles: Sounds weird, tastes incredible. Chop them small and stir them right in.
• Shredded cheddar: Yes, on top of the already cheesy soup. No notes.
• Green onions: For freshness and color.
• A dollop of sour cream: Makes it richer and a little tangy.
• Diced tomatoes: For the full burger experience.
• Hot sauce: If you want a kick.

What I’d serve with this cheeseburger soup.

• simple house salad with homemade ranch
• crispy garlic bread
• sliced garlic cheese bread
• cornbread casserole
• air fryer green beans

More easy soup recipes for your eating pleasure.