It’s super cold here in Chicago. This morning I woke up to the sound of my husband scraping the windshield on the car. We’ve had a pretty mild winter but I have a feeling that February is going to be a beast. I can’t decide if I like cold weather or not. I do like having seasons. Though living in southern Florida sounds pretty tempting right now, I know I would miss curling up on the couch with a nice warm blanket and a bowl of cheesy potato soup.
I’ve been on a huge soup kick lately. Though I haven’t been menu planning like I should, I do have a couple of soups on my to-make list. One of my favorites is my slower cooker chicken tortilla soup and of course, I don’t think you can wrong with a nice minestrone but tonight I wanted something that would stick to my ribs and decided to make my cheesy potato soup.
Veggies to make it “healthy” :)
My mom makes cheese potatoes for almost every holiday we spend together. This soup was inspired by her recipe, with a few extra ingredients to give it some additional favor. It’s definitely not a low-fat recipe but everything in moderation, right? It does take just a little bit more work (you’re supposed to make a roux) but I think it’s worth it.
Cheesy Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 cups peeled yukon gold potatoes
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 oz Velveeta
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
- In a stock pot, brown the beef until no longer pink, drain and set aside. In the same pot, melt one tbsp of butter and add carrots, onions, celery, basil and parsley until the vegetables are your desired level of tenderness.
- Add chicken broth, potatoes and ground beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 10 minutes or so (until the potatoes are done).
- While the soup is simmering, melt 3 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan and add flour, cooking 4-6 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.
- Add the butter/flour mixture to your stock pot and bring to a boil. Again, reduce the heat and cook for a few minutes to let the mixture integrate with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the cheese, milk, water, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts.
If you wanted to skip a step you could probably do without the roux (cooking the flour in butter) but your soup won’t be as thick and hearty. To make up for that, you could always add a big dallop of sour cream and maybe garnish with some diced bacon.
What is your favorite cold-weather comfort food?
About Sarah
Sarah is a healthcare administrator, mother of one spunky 6-year old daughter and a travel blogger living in Wichita, Kansas. Join her as she tackles life in the midwest one to-do list at a time.
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This sounds absolutely delicious! And perfect for the weather we’re having right now. I might give it a try with ground turkey instead of beef.
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Ooh – this looks so rich! My favorite winter soup is pea soup, but this one would definitely be high on my daughter’s hit list!
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This reminds me of when my mom use to make potato soup for us as children. I want to try your recipe, looks yummy.
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That does look good, and her too it’s chilly! I’ve never seen hamburger in potato soup, but sounds yummy!
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I love cheesy broccoli soup, so I am sure I would enjoy this too!
I especially like that it has ground beef in it…that would make my hubby happy!
Perfect winter soup and would so be good for today’s lunch. Sigh…
Oh yum yum! It is def soup season. Thanks for the recipe!
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Yum! I love potato soup but have never tried to make it on my own. I am going to have to try this recipe. It looks delicious!
This looks like such a hearty must try recipe! I have to say my favorite cold weather comfort soup is hot chicken tortilla soup
This recipe looks divine! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for this recipe! I have been craving potato soup lately. It is perfect for the winter!
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Well doesn’t this look tasty. I’d have to swap out the beef for chicken or turkey, but I’m sure it would be delicious. I love soups and am always looking for new easy to make recipes. Thanks for this one!
Yum! I think I will add some broccoli too
Super duper yummy!! Totally pinning!!!