Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Recipe

Print

One Pot Macaroni Cheeseburger Soup

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 34 reviews

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.

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1 cup sliced celery
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

For the Croutons:

  • 4 sesame seed buns, diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Garnish:

  • sliced green onion, for garnish
  • shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

Instructions

  1. MAKE HAMBURGER BUN CROUTONS. 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 toss to coat evenly. Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
  2. COOK BEEF. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 pound ground beef, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Brown ground beef, crumbling with a spatula until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. SAUTE AROMATICS. Heat 6 tablespoons of butter in the same large pot over medium heat (no need to wipe it out or drain the grease). Add 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup sliced carrots, 1 cup sliced celery, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
  4. ADD HERBS + GARLIC. Reduce heat to medium and add 5 cloves minced garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, and the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, and cook for another minute.
  5. ADD FLOUR. Then add 4 tablespoons flour and stir to coat veggies. Cook for one more minute, stirring frequently.
  6. DEGLAZE THE POT. Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pot, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.
  7. ADD EVERYTHING ELSE. Stir in the rest of the 8 cups of chicken broth and 8 oz. of uncooked macaroni noodles along with another pinch of salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer.
  8. SIMMER. Once it begins to simmer, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes or pasta is al dente. Stir occasionally to prevent noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  9. MAKE IT CREAMY. Remove soup from heat. Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream and 8 oz. of shredded cheese.
  10. FINISH + SEASON. Then add 1 teaspoon of white balsamic vinegar. Add cooked ground beef back into the pot. Heat the soup over medium heat for a couple minutes, until the beef is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  11. SERVE + ENJOY. Serve soup with sesame seed bun croutons and garnish with green onions and shredded cheddar cheese, and enjoy!
  12. SHARE THE LOVE. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Notes

  • 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.

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