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Cheeseburger Chowder is a thing. I had it a month ago at a tiny ice cream shop in Northern Indiana and ever since then I have been trying to dissect the recipe so I could make it the exact same way. I held out for a few days before calling them and after a few moments of being placed on hold I was given a vague recipe. Rather- I was given a list of ingredients. Sadly, I had already guessed the items that she read off to me. I thanked her and put this recipe on my mental ‘come back to later’ shelf.
Last Sunday, while vacuuming (which is when I do a lot of deep thinking) it occurred to me that one thing I did NOT like about this chowder was the fact that is tasted a little too salty for me. It was then I decided to try to recreate this on my off day (Monday) and get it refined to my liking.
The first batch was made using the ingredient list the ice cream shop owner gave me. Milk, hamburger, salt, pepper, shredded hash brown potatoes, onions- and Velveeta. Nothing against this particular cheese food. I have used it and I have eaten it. But I find it a bit salty.
Even thought I guessed at proportions it still came out perfect and almost exactly like the one I had that cold November day. Smooth and just the right consistency- my family liked it and frankly, I did too. Feel free to sub my version with 16 oz of cubed Velveeta. What I love about this recipe is I used my favorite parts of a burger- tomatoes, cheese and some good, lean burger. The only thing that could top this might be crumbled bacon. But I am trying to err on the light side!
But I wanted to try it without the rectangular cheese and see if I liked the results better- and I did. Starting from a more whole state I was able to control the sodium (which I have to do) and I liked the lighter texture and consistency better.
This is a very simple way to make a hearty and satisfying weeknight meal. In addition to cooking it on the stove top in a stock pot you could also make this in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours, stirring throughout the day. I am trying this next week just to be sure. The only difference you would have would be to add pre-cooked hamburger to the crock and whisk the stock and flour together before adding into the mix.
I would love to hear from YOU in the comments! I see you all visiting and sharing my posts (thank you!!) but it’s not often that many of you leave a comment. I would love to hear what you think!
This is not a sponsored post but I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the brands I used today. These brands not only have local ties but are healthy options that I am proud to serve to my family- Red Gold Tomatoes (Elwood, IN), Dean Foods (Milk most likely from my own counties dairy- Kelsay Farms) and Laura’s Lean Beef (Kentucky).
I wanted to make this as light as I could yet provide an ingredient list that was easy to find and better yet- easy to afford. I think your money is better spent buying leaner ground meats as you loose SO much in the cooking process when you buy a higher fat content ground meat. Just my opinion.
Without further ado- I give you- Cheeseburger Chowder!
Total Servings 4-6 people
40 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 1 lb of lean ground beef (I used Laura’s Lean Beef)
- 1/4 C of all purpose flour
- 2 C of milk (Dean’s 1%)
- 2 C of chicken stock- low sodium
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 1 small (roughly a pound) bag of shredded hash browns or potato cubes, thawed
- 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (I used Red Gold) very well drained
- 2 1/2 C of cheddar or cheddar blend cheese (I like Sargento cheddar blends)
- salt/pepper to taste once cooked
- pickles to garnish
Instructions
- In a stock pot or dutch oven brown the hamburger over medium heat.
- Add in the garlic and onion, saute until soft.
- Sprinkle flour over the mix and stir to combine.
- Pour in the stock and allow to simmer on medium low until slightly thick.
- Meanwhile, pour contents of potatoes into a microwave safe bowl, cover and cook for 2 minutes until potatoes are softer.
- Check to be sure and cook in 1 minute increments until soft.
- Add the milk to the soup pot, stir to combine, then add the cheese.
- Allow to simmer on low for 5 minutes.
- Add in the potatoes and tomatoes.
- Stir and allow to cook on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- At this point I feel it is thick enough.
- If you want a thinner consistency, add a few TB of milk.
