Of the hundreds of recipes we’ve run in Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine over the years, this humble soup gets more reader requests than any other. Here is Beatrice Richard’s famous cheeseburger soup recipe, in all its potato-and-yellow-cheese glory, first featured in October 1999. (Yes, we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of cheeseburger soup!)
Potatoes are to the village of Posen what grapes are to Bordeaux. This tiny town south of Rogers City kicks off the harvest each year with the Posen Potato Festival, and besides polkas, parades and the potato Olympics, the festival boasts a potato cooking contest. Meet Beatrice Richard, Posen’s star potato cook who won her 47th blue ribbon at the Posen Potato Festival with this cheeseburger soup.
Recipe: Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup EACH chopped onions, carrots, and celery
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups diced and peeled potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups cubed yellow cheese (Velveeta)
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
Directions
Brown ground beef and set aside. Sauté onions, carrots and celery with basil and parsley. Add chicken broth, potatoes and beef. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10–12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
In a small skillet melt butter and stir in flour. Cook until bubbly. Add to soup and boil for two minutes, stirring continuously. Reduce heat to low; add cheese, milk and salt and pepper to taste. When cheese melts remove from heat and blend in sour cream.