Cheeseburger soup

I love using my slow cooker for all kinds of obvious reasons – it uses little electricity, it lets me get other things done during the day, it produces great meals for little cost. But sometimes I find recipes that are just plain fun. I got this one for cheeseburger soup from my mother and it was a profound hit with my family. With the addition of potatoes, I suppose it could be called cheeseburger and fries soup.

The recipe includes various burger toppings: Onions, ketchup, mustard and hot peppers. The original recipe called for one Serrano pepper, but I could not find one at my local grocery store. The jalapenos looked elderly, so I chose one of those small, red bird peppers. Not sure how hot it would really be, I added it whole to the pot – like you would use a habenero pepper.

This soup was delicious and quickly devoured. The addition of cheese soup gives a silky texture.

In a medium skillet, cook beef with onions and garlic. Drain excess fat.

Combine the potatoes, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper and hot pepper in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.

Can you tell where I went to the grocery store this week? Add the broth, cheese soup and hamburger meat.

Cook on low for 10 hours. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cheese and a couple of slices of dill pickle.

The cold dill pickle on the hot soup is terrific.

Cheeseburger soup

1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 cups diced potatoes
1 shredded carrot
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Serrano pepper, diced (I used a whole red bird pepper, uncut)
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Two 14 ounce cans beef broth
10.75 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
To garnish: ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, dill pickles

In a medium skillet, cook beef with onions and garlic. Drain excess fat. Combine the meat and all other ingredients, except garnishes, in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 10 hours. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cheese and a couple of slices of dill pickle. Serves 8.