Cheeseburger Chowder

Cheeseburger Chowder 

This a recipe we picked up after moving to the MidWest. It's sometimes called Cheeseburger soup. There are different iterations - some add carrots, others use canned cheddar cheese soup. We prefer this version.  It's thick, cheesy, and is perfect on a cold night with a slice of homemade bread. 

Nearly all of my ingredients, save the milk, come from Sam's Club and cost is figured by that pricing. 

The real cost saver in this recipe is the broth. I make my own. Every week for meat in lunches, I put a jumbo pack (about 6-7lbs) of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in the crockpot with a chopped onion, salt, pepper, and water. I cook it overnight on high. In the morning, not only do I have 4-5lbs of fall off the bone meat, but I have 2-3 quarts of beautiful stock. That's what I use in this recipe.

Cost of Ingredients:

Potatoes - 87 cents

Broth - pennies

Spices - pennies

Onion -  60 cents

Olive oil - 12 cents

Beef - $7.96

Flour - 16 cents

Milk - 65 cents

Cheese - $1.28

Total: 11.64

Per serving: $1.46

Prep time - 5 minutes

Cook time - 20 minutes

Yield - 8 servings

Ingredients 

4-5 Russett potatoes, diced (~1/2")

6c Chicken broth

1 tsp dried parsley (optional)

2 tsp ground mustard 

1 onion, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

2lbs lean ground beef

1/2c flour

2c milk

2c shredded cheese

Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions:

1. Dice the potatoes; Place in a large pot and cover with broth; Add parsley, ground mustard, and salt & pepper; Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; Boil for 10 minutes or until tender.

2. While the potatoes boil, chop the onions. Place oil and onions in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; Cook until crisp tender, about 3 minutes; Add the beef to the pan, breaking it up; Season with salt and pepper; Cook until no longer pink. 

3. Sprinkle the flour over the beef; Stir to coat; Add milk to the beef mixture, stirring until thickened. Add the beef & milk mixture to the cooked potatoes and stir to combine. 

4. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted.