Cheeseburger Soup

Thanks everyone, for sharing your soup recipes, keep them coming!  Meghan, as soon as I can find some wild rice in the desert, I'm making yours!

So here is a recipe from my sister Tammy.  Rumor has it that it is my nephew Jacob's favorite.  We made it tonight, and it is really good.  If you are a cheese (or a reasonable facsimile of cheese) soup fan, as my family is (I raised up my boys right, and now my granddaughter loves cheese too!), you will enjoy this.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tsp dried basil (I used a little more)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 T butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced, peeled potatoes, or cubed has browns
1/4 cup flour
8 oz velveeta cheese
1 1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

In large ot brown beef, drain and set aside.  In the same pan saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 T butter until tender.  Add broth, potatoes and beef.  Bring to a boil.

Add cheese and stir until melted.  In a separate pan combine remaining butter and flour to make a paste and add the milk.  Heat until very hot.  Then add this to the soup.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat until very hot, potatoes are tender and cheese is melted.  Before serving, stir in the sour cream.

So here is our soup blog!

Randy and I love soup, so we decided this winter to commit to making homemade soup at least once per week.  We already have about 8 recipes we make all the time, but we have two large books of nothing but soup with hundreds of recipes to try.  We have already picked out about 30, so we are ready to get started.  Last week we made Chicken Tortilla Soup, we give it a definite "make again, make often."  It will go in the permanent soup recipe book.  This one Randy made.

CHICKEN/TURKEY TORTILLA SOUP

1  large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1  teaspoon ground cumin
5 cups chicken broth

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 can (141/2 oz diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1/2 bottle pace chunky salsa (mild)
1/2 bottle (small) roasted red peppers, chopped
3 cans (5 oz) cooked white chicken, or equivalent home cooked chicken OR turkey
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or 1 teaspoon refrigerated cilantro paste (we used "Gourmet Garden" brand found in the produce section of Safeway and Raleys)
1-2 teaspoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded Jack or cheddar cheese

If you like it spicier, add 1 chapped jalapeno pepper, 1 can green chilies, or hot salsa instead of mild to taste.

In large saucepan, saute onion in oil; add the chilies, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, salsa, tomatoes.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and stir in chicken. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add the ciainatro, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese.