Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 small russet potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 small white or yellow onion chopped
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 8 slices cooked bacon chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk I use 2%
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • Green onion chopped (for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Place potatoes, onions, carrots, dried basil and parsley in a large crock pot. Pour chicken broth over vegetables. Cover with lid. Cook on low heat 6 hours or until potatoes are tender.
  2. About 45 minutes before serving, cook and crumble ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain any grease. Pour cooked ground beef into crock pot. Add in the cooked, chopped bacon as well.
  3. Carefully wipe out hot skillet with a paper towel then add butter. When butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook until golden brown and bubbly (about 1 minute.) Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into the crock pot and stir to combine everything.
  4. Add shredded cheese to crock pot. Stir again. Cover with lid and cook until cheese is melted.
  5. Enjoy!

** Since I enjoy making multiple batches of my soups I borrowed my mom’s 2 crock pots and, with mine, had 3 going at the same time. I ended up with about five 8 cup ziplock bags of soup. (Not including what we ate that day…)