I didn’t expect this recipe for a cheeseburger and pickle soup to be so good. It’s my husband’s concoction and it is certainly nothing fancy, but boy did it hit the trifecta: budget-friendly, quick & easy, and full of flavor! Such a nice addition to cold-weather cooking.
It comes together in under an hour, stretches a pound and a half of ground beef to feed 10 people, and reheats well for weeknight leftovers.
Quick Summary: A creamy, tangy soup with ground beef, cheddar cheese, and dill pickles. All the flavors of a cheeseburger in a bowl. Budget-friendly and feeds a crowd. Prep: 25 min | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 10
Jump to: RECIPE | Ingredients | Substitutions | Storage & Freezing | Related Recipes | FAQ
What’s in Cheeseburger Pickle Soup?
The following list of ingredients is what you will need for this recipe. For details on the exact measurements see the recipe below.
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Garlic
- Canned mushrooms
- Smoky chile spice
- Potatoes
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Yellow mustard
- Worcestershire
- Tomato juice
- Heavy Cream
- Pickles
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Variations: Additions or Substitutions
Some common additions or substitutions include:
- Bacon is a nice addition if you want to up the protein.
- Ground turkey, ground pork, sausage or ground chicken can be substituted for the hamburger.
- Make it meatless by adding extra vegetables (bell peppers, broccoli, peas, etc.).
- Your favorite spice blend can be used instead of the smoky chile spice.
- Pepper jack or Colby is a nice substitution for the cheddar cheese.
- Instead of potatoes for the starch, you can add pasta or rice.
- The heavy cream can be switched with Greek yogurt.
- Chicken or vegetable broth can be added to replace some of the liquids (i.e., tomato juice, cream or the water from the cream of mushroom soup can). Just taste for salt as certain broths can be quite salty.
How to Store and Freeze Cheeseburger Soup
Storing Leftovers: If you do have leftovers, the soup keeps beautifully in the refrigerator, covered, for about 3-4 days. Make sure and let it cool before placing in the fridge. Add a little broth or water if it looks too thick to you upon re-heating.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this soup, as the potatoes may get mushy and the cream may separate. If you want to make it ahead of time and freeze it, leave out the potatoes and cream until the day of cooking it. However this soup comes together quickly if you have the ingredients on hand, so I wouldn’t bother with freezing. It tastes so much better fresh.
Related Comfort Food Recipes
Check out 9 more of my favorite comfort food recipes for cold-weather cooking.
FAQ
Yes. The familiar cheeseburger flavors (beef, cheese, pickles, mustard) make this an easy sell for picky eaters. You can reduce or omit the pickles if needed.
Yes, but add the cheese and pickles when reheating rather than before storing. The soup base keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
I don’t recommend it. The potatoes get mushy and the cream can separate. If you want to prep ahead, freeze the soup base without potatoes or cream and add those fresh when cooking.
You can make a simple roux with butter and flour, then add broth and cream. Or use cream of celery or cream of chicken if you prefer.
Not as written. The potatoes and cream of mushroom soup contain starches. You could substitute cauliflower for potatoes and make a roux-based sauce to adapt it.
Cheeseburger Pickle Soup
Equipment
- 2 large pots
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb ground beef I like 80-20% beef to fat
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons smoky chile spice blend or your favorite spice blend
- 2 medium potatoes scrubbed and coarsely chopped
- 1 small can sliced mushrooms
- 14 ounce cream of mushroom soup
- 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese
- 1 cup dill pickles chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet or large saucepan, brown the ground beef and chopped onions over medium heat. When meat is no longer pink, add the garlic and chile spice blend and cook for another minute, stirring together.1 1/2 lb ground beef, 1 medium onion, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 2 tablespoons smoky chile spice blend
- Add the chopped potatoes and the can of mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (not mushy).2 medium potatoes, 1 small can sliced mushrooms
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce in a separate saucepan: Empty the can of cream of mushroom soup into the pan, fill the can with water, and pour the can of water into the pan. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato juice, heavy cream and salt and cook the mixture over medium heat until heated all the way through (about 5 minutes)14 ounce cream of mushroom soup, 4 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup tomato juice, 2 cups heavy cream, 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- When sauce is heated through, add the beef-mushroom mixture to the pan with the sauce. Stir in the shredded cheese and the chopped pickles. and cook until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup dill pickles
- Served with optional toppings of sour cream and more pickles.
Rich and creamy for a great winter soup. Love the addition of pickles!