Lightened Up Cheeseburger Soup

Hopefully we will still have a few more cold days that will be perfect for soup days before spring officially arrives.  Soups are fun and versatile.  Of course I love the cream based soups the best... and those tend to not be the healthiest.  For this cheeseburger soup I've lightened it up by swapping out some regular ingredients I see in this recipe for some lighter options.  We're using evaporated milk instead of whole milk and only one tablespoon of butter.  We're using cornstarch to thicken instead of a butter/flour roué.  

Connor and I were having a Mom and Connor night and I gave him several options for dinner and he wanted Cheeseburger Soup.  I was happy to hear it because it was a chilly day and sounded good to me too.

Let's Get Crafty!
Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1/2 larger onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon butter
6 cups low sodium broth (I used 4 beef and 2 chicken)
3 large potatoes, diced
5 oz can evaporated milk
8 oz velvetta, cubed
1 T chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Brown hamburger with onions in a big pot that will eventually hold all the soup.  When done - drain off as much of the fat as you can.  (I like to take a paper towel and use my spoon to move it around.  I'm always surprised at how much it gets even after I think I have drained off the fat.)

In another pot sauté the celery, carrots and minced garlic with the tablespoon of butter.  Once the butter has been soaked up I added some chicken broth to help it keep cooking.  Doing it separately before adding to the group helps to bring out the butter flavor even though you are just using one tablespoon.

Add the rest of the broth to the main pot and bring to a boil.  Then add the potatoes and simmer under they are nearly done.  This took me about 12 minutes.

Then add the carrot/celery combo to the main pot, along with the can of evaporated milk, diced Velveeta and parsley.  Stirring constantly until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat to mix together the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with one tablespoon of cold water until smooth.  Then add to the pot and bring to a boil stirring constantly and boil for one minute to thicken.

Gotta love the toppings!  My choices for the evening were shredded cheese and french fried jalapenos.  Delish!

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!