Cheeseburger Soup

Yesterday and today have been Snow Days!  Days when I didn't have to go to work.  We received 7-8" of snow here and that was definitely enough of an excuse to stay in pjs and enjoy some time at home.  Granted - I have a LOT of projects I am and should be working on: baby blankets and burp cloths for gifts and for the new grand-baby to be; a scrapbook that's been partially done for about 2.5 years now; cleaning - always cleaning; and organizing.  But instead of jumping right into any of that - I felt it was important to have a pot of hot, bubbly soup going on the stove.  We tried this recipe a few weeks ago and decided it was a keeper!  This time though, I was out of carrots - so you won't see any in the pictures.  It was fine without - but I will definitely put them in again.  It's just nice to have that nice, bright color.

Cheeseburger Soup

In a large saucepan or pan, saute the following for about 10 minutes or until tender:
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery

Vegetables and burger

3/4 cup diced carrots
1 T. butter

After the vegetables are tender to tender/crisp, add:
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced potatoes
1 - 1.5 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. parsley

Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender.

This is the rue - or the flour/milk mixture

While this cooks, melt 3 T. butter and add 1/4 c. flour into a large saucepan.

When it is smooth, add:
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cup milk
Whisk together well and
add to vegetable/meat mixture.
Add:
2 c. American Cheese, cubed   (I used Velveeta, white the first time and yellow this time)

Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally and allowing the cheese to melt.  Then add:
1/4 cup sour cream
Mix well, heat through and serve hot!

It's yummy!  Enjoy - but don't wait for a snow day to cook it up!