Something New Sunday - Slurpin' Up Some Soup

I was in the mood for soup and since I've never made a soup before what better than to give it a try on 'Something New Sunday'.  It has been a while since I've tried something new and was wanting to cook a meal in my crock-pot (I love cooking with my crock-pot).  After searching Pinterest (my 'go-to' for new meal ideas), I came across this yummy sounding recipe. 

 

 

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup - Crockpot Style

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onions, diced
1/2 cup of bacon, crumbled (approx. 7 strips)

1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups potatoes, cubed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 cans of chicken broth

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk

Directions:

Cook the first three ingredients (ground beef, bacon & onions) in a skillet before putting into crock-pot.  <Make sure meats are fully cooked and onions are opaque in color>

Combine all the veggies, cream cheese and broth together and combine into crock-pot, with the meats.

Add seasonings.

Cook for 7 hours on LOW.

When you are almost ready to serve, dissolve flour into milk and pour into the soup to thicken.  Mix in the cheese and serve when cheese is melted.

ENJOY!!

My Thoughts:
  I'm not going to lie, at first I thought this recipe was going to be a complete FAIL!  When you first put all the ingredients together in the crockpot, it looks like a hot mess of food.  The veggies look odd and really don't have much to do with "cheeseburger" taste and the chicken broth almost watered everything down.  You honestly have let this dish cook for the full 7 hours to get it to look appetizing and for the potatoes to get soft enough to eat.  When I was almost ready to serve the dish, I was debating if it needed to be thicken but Aaron said he thought it still looked 'runny' so I went ahead and did it.  He was right, it most certainly helped make the soup look more like a chowder and the cheese is always an important ingredient in our house.

When it was time to eat, this soup taste just like it's name and boy, was it DELICOUS!  Full of flavor (which I say in almost all my food post), and very, very filling.  We invited my parents over to join us, because it does make a lot of soup.  My dad only had to take one bite and was already raving about it.  My mom had request a small bowl, but had gone back for seconds.  The only change I might make for next time (cause Aaron has already said, I will be making this again), is try it with beef broth. 

Pair it with a pickle spear and you'll feel like your really eating a cheeseburger! :)

~Kellie Anne