This recipe concept came from watching Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". I didn't believe it when I saw the episode, so we set the TiVo to capture the action in a replay later in the week. I watched the episode once more and took notes. This is what resulted from my effort to recreate it. I think I'm pretty spot-on with the flavor. It honestly does taste just like a cheeseburger! Amazing!
Cheeseburger Soup
2 T. butter
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 to 1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 can (14.4 oz.) beef broth
1 c. half & half
slurry: 1/2 c. water + 3 T. flour; blended
10 to 12 oz. Velveeta +/-
1 c. lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1. Brown your meat. I used real ground beef, not ground turkey this time.
2. In a separate pot, cook your onions in the 2 T. butter:
Open your can of beef broth; pour it in with the meat......along with the cup of half & half, and the "slurry".
Let it simmer a little, then add the onions:
Chop up the cheese into chunks; there are four slabs there, and I ended up adding two more, so I think it was about 10-12 ounces of cheese.
Drop it in; stir well...
Make sure the cheese is all melted and incorporated, then add your 'maters:
Give it a good stir, then add the lettuce:
Mix well...I let it simmer for about 5 or 10 minutes, then I couldn't wait anymore!
At the table, I tried some garnishes of shredded cheddar and diced dill pickles:
Not pictured, but we both tried it with a blob of ketchup on a spoonful, but we decided it didn't need it.
I'll warn you: this is a VERY filling meal! It is fantastic "comfort food" though.
REFERNCES:
Guy's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on Food Network
(Dives Worth a Drive, Episode DV0710; recipe credit to: Grovers Bar & Grill, East Amherst, NY)
