Fall is officially here and as if on cue the cooler weather rolled in which is good because I can now get into all of those fall dishes that I have been holding off on like soups! This is quite a relief in that I have had the idea for this bacon double cheeseburger soup burning a hole in my mind pretty much all summer and I was just waiting for things to cool off a bit before making it. The idea for this soup is quite simple in that it contains all of the flavours of a bacon double cheese burger in soup form, and who doesn’t love a bacon double cheese burger?
This soup starts off with the base of any burger, the beef, and then moves on to the bacon and then the standard soup vegetable base of onions, celery and carrots which are sauteed in the bacon grease to maximize that smoky bacon flavour. A jalapeno pepper also joins the vegetable base to add a bit of spicy heat to the soup. I envisioned this soup as a thicker soup, more like a chowder, so I added some flour at this point which to thicken the soup as it cooks. You could of course use water for the liquid of any soup but why not take the opportunity to add flavour and I went with a cobination of beef broth and beer which was inspired by the recent success of the ale and cheddar soup . Continuing along with the idea of a chowder I added a potato to make the soup a bit heartier. Up next was the seasoning and I went with ideas both from how I would season a burger patty and with the condiments that I would use in a burger including worcestershire sauce, ketchup and mustard.
At this point the burger is looking more complete but we are still missing some things like the lettuce, tomatoes and of course the double cheeses. At first I was wondering about how I would get the lettuce into the soup but then I though, if I can use cabbage in a soup like the creamy cabbage and double smoked bacon soup then why not lettuce? A quick search online revealed that adding lettuce to soups is far from unheard of so I decided to add some shredded iceberg lettuce right need the end so that it would just wilt and get tender without over cooking. The tomatoes were easy as I just added a tin of diced tomatoes and then for the double cheeses I went with a combination of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese that was added at the end so that they would just have enough time to melt into the soup. The soup was of course finished off with a bit of milk to make it creamier like a chowder.
At this point the soup was pretty much done although there was still one component that was missing, the bun. I had thought about using buns as a thickener but I wanted the bun to be visible so I went with hamburger bun croutons to garnish the soup with. The bun croutons were made by tossing some cubed buns in a bit of leftover bacon grease and then baking them until golden brown. I also served the soup garnished with some reserved bacon, cheese and diced pickles for those that like pickles in their burgers.
In the end I was able to incorporate all of my favourite flavours of a bacon double cheeseburger into the recipe and I am pleased to say that as good as the recipe sounds the actual dish is way better! The bacon double cheeseburger soup exceeded all of my expectations and then some! This is easily the best soup that I have had in a long time and it really does tasty just like a bacon double cheese burger! If there is only one soup that you make this fall it has to be this bacon double cheeseburger soup!
Tip: When adding cheese to soups like this, add it at the very end and do not let the soup come to a boil after adding the cheese as the cheese will curdle and stick the the sides of the pot, the bowls and even the spoons. You can just remove the soup from the heat, let it stop bubbling and mix in the cheese. There will still be enough heat for it to melt into the soup.
Bacon Double Cheeseburger Soup
A tasty and hearty soup with all of the flavours of a bacon double cheeseburgers!
ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 8 slices bacon, cut into one inch pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup flour (rice flour for gluten-free)
- 2 cups beef broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 cups beer (gluten-free for gluten-free) (or more broth)
- 1 large yukon gold (or other boiling potato), peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups lettuce, shredded
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
- 2 hamburger buns, cut into 1 inch cubes (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease (or oil)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cook the ground beef in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 8-10 minutes, and set aside.
- Cook the bacon in the pan, about 5-7 minutes, and set aside on paper towels, reserving about 4 tablespoons of the grease in the pan.
- Add the onions, carrots, celery and jalapeno and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute
- Mix in the flour and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the broth, beer, bacon, beef, potato, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce and tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the lettuce, milk and cheese and cook until the cheese has melted, without bringing it back to a boil.
- Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste!
- While the soup is cooking, toss the bun cubes in bacon grease, salt, and pepper, and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes, turning half way through.
- Serve garnished with the croutons!
Option: Garnish with your favourite burger toppings such add: shredded cheese, diced pickles, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, etc.
Ale and Cheddar Soup
Bacon Double Cheese Burger Dip
Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup
Buffalo Chicken Chowder
Bacon Double Cheese Burger Salad
Bacon Cheeseburger Omelette
Reuben Soup
One Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Bacon Double Cheeseburger Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Swedish Meatballs
Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
OMG this looks incredible!!!
looks amazing, Kevin-you really put a lot of thought into it! anne
I love all your soup recipes. I have tried many and I think this is another one that I will try. I have not had a bad soup recipe from you yet!! Keep up the good work.
ooooooooooooooh…all of my favourite flavours in a bowl… Can't wait to make this…. I love your recipes and blog… Keep up the great ideas!
What an incredible soup! Really loved it!
I am making this soup ASAP. I am very impressed that you crank out these fabulous recipes from your closet-sized kitchen!
Awesome! This soup is really original and droolworthy.
Cheers,
Rosa
Can you do some healthy recipes?
kevin i do love you
i don't if its because this soup has double bacon or that you served potato chips with the soup. LOL
Holy cow! This looks incredible! I love that it's an entire meal-in-a-bowl 🙂
This looks so delicious! Going to add it to my meal plan this week 🙂
Hey Kevin, I've been thinking about making a skinny version of this soup, not sure if that's even possible but this looks fantastic!
My son would love this…
I can't get over these sesame seed bun croutons! What a fantastic meal!
Gina @ Skinnytaste: This recipe is not so skinny. 🙂 I would love to see your version!
this soup is fabulous….I cooked it tonight. I accidentally put too much beer in but if ya like beer then that isn't an issue lol. It really does kinda taste like a cheeseburger. 🙂
Genius genius genius! I think I might give this a whirl out of pure curiousity!
Making this tonight with ground turkey and chx stock.. hope it looks as good as yours!
How thick is this exactly…. more along the lines of simply coating the back of a spoon or quite creamy and thick?
Julia: Coating the back of a spoon thick though you could make it more or less thick by increasing or decreasing the amount of flour used. Enjoy!
I made this tonite. It was really good but not wow like I thought it would be.I thought it should have been beefyer. Next time I'll add another 1/2 lb of beef. It was a bit sweet maybe the beer I used Yueling or the katsup. I left the pepper out(I would have liked it) family wouldn't I did give it a few dashes of hot sauce. My partner said it was good but not thick enough. I'll let you know if I tweek it more.
I don't know what I love most about this blog post. The recipe is certainly incredible and I cannot wait to try it out. But the way you explained your thoughts and the method of deciding the ingredients had me riveted. I just adore the thought process.
Erin – ekcantcook.blogspot.com
Great soup. The new Food on Friday is all about soup. It would be wonderful if you linked this in. Here's the link . Have a souper duper week!
I made his today for my Ladies Holiday Luncheon. The recipe did not say what kind of beer to use. I used a porter. The result made me physically sick just to smell it. Threw out the whole pot.
Do you think this could be done in a crockpot? Any advice on trying it that way?
Kristi: Although I am a fan of porters I would not go for one in this soup. I like to use a pale ale or pale lager or other lighter beer.
Megan: Yes this can be made in a crockpot. You can do steps 1-4 if you want or just throw the veggies in raw. Just place all of the ingredients other than the flour, lettuce, milk and cheese into the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours or until the potatoes are tender. After the soup has cooked mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (instead of the flour) into the milk and add it along with the lettuce and cheese to the crockpot and cook until it thickens up a bit and the lettuce wilts, about 10-20 minutes on low. Enjoy!
I made this soup tonight …didn't have any beer in the house (horrors) so added more beef broth instead. Adjusted the seasonings to my taste … oh and I used frozen hash browns instead of the potato. This really does taste like a cheeseburger… I didn't even wait to make the croutons! Totally yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Sounds yummy. Will be making this. Glad to see the crockpot version as well.
The best soup!!! I so love it! Thank you for posting this recipe!
I was wondering if I have leftovers would this soup be ok to freeze?
Amy: Yes, you can freeze any leftovers!
I like you, but you crazy!
I just had an oralgasm! This is sooo tasty, decadent yes, but oh so delicious.
I made this for a bacon-themed dinner party and the response I got pretty much was, "OMG!". : )
I nixed the spicy ingredients (jalapeño & cayenne) and used smoked mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar for the cheeses. All the flavors dance on your taste buds, the pickles add that"something special", and the bun croutons are genius!
I got 8 servings in the interest of stretching my dollar, but not my waistline! ; ) Thanks for such a delightful meal.
What about adding thousand island dressing? A lot of burgers have it spread on the bun. Maybe omit mustard?
I made this tonight. It was delicious! I love bacon cheeseburgers but can’t eat the wheat, so this was perfect! Thank you for the recipe.