When I first saw ‘cheeseburger’ or even ‘hamburger’ soup, I was a little baffled. There was this mental image of someone making soup from a McDonald’s burger. Did the bread bun go in too?

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Now I realise that you could easily call it a diced beef soup or something similar. But it doesn’t sound as cool as an Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup, does it?

Can you make this recipe in the crockpot?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot (we have the 7-in1 Instant Pot and it is always a family favourite gadget) that doesn’t mean you can’t make this recipe. There’s just a couple of minor adaptations to make.

For starters, grab a frying pan or skillet and brown the beef first. This replaces the sauté step in the recipe. Then add everything to the slow cooker.

Because there’s no steaming option, cook it on high for about 3 hours or on low for around 5 hours. Make sure those potatoes are cooked. Then add the cheese and stir through.

Finally, you may need to mix a little corn-starch (cornflour) with water and add to the mix to thicken. Cook on high for another 15 minutes then serve.

More recipe inspiration

While you are in Instant Pot soup mode, why not try an Instant Pot Lentil and Bacon Soup? Or just stick with the pan and try a Spicy White Bean and Cabbage Soup instead.

What you need to make Instant Pot cheeseburger soup

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
½ medium white onion, finely diced
1 lbs. ground sirloin
1 T. Italian seasoning
Sea salt & black pepper, to taste
1 lbs. red potatoes, chopped small
3 c. beef broth, preferably organic, divided
½ c. heavy cream
4 c. sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
2 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ t. smoked paprika

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Add olive oil to Instant Pot inner cooking pot and select the “Sauté’ function. Use the “Adjust” button to select the “Normal” (medium) setting.

STEP 2: Once hot, add the diced onion and ground sirloin. Add the Italian seasoning and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion develops some colour and the beef is mostly browned, approximately 6-7 minutes.

STEP 3: Push the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button and add the red potatoes and beef broth. Add lid and lock into place. Switch the vent to “Sealing” and select the “Manual” setting on “High.” Adjust cook time to 3 minutes.

STEP 4: When cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining steam before carefully removing the lid.

STEP 5: To prevent curdling, temper the heavy cream by adding 2-3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from inside the Instant Pot to it before adding it to the container. Stir to combine.

STEP 6: Add the cheddar cheese, one cup at a time, and stir until completely melted. Serve immediately with some freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkle of smoked paprika for garnish, if desired.

Storing the recipe

After cooking: You can store leftover soup for 3-4 days in the fridge. Let it cool down completely then store in airtight containers. Just pop it in the pan to reheat.

Freezing the recipe: If you plan to make the soup to freeze, change things a little. Don’t add the potatoes as they can be mushy and not nice. Don’t add any cheese or cream. Then once it is cooled, store it in an airtight container for up to 1 month. To reheat, it add to the pan and add the missing ingredients (already cooked for the potatoes) to finish.

Recipe tips

Why not take it one step further and make a bacon cheeseburger soup? All that means is adding some shredded bacon into the recipe at the start. But it does add extra flavour!

You can also swap the beef for shredded turkey if you want to cut back on your red meat intake. You may need to adjust the cooking time downwards a little if the meat is already cooked.

Finally, try different cheeses! Just like a Black and Blue burger features blue cheese, you can try adding that to this recipe. Look for cheeses that cook well to make sure they work perfectly.

Yield: 4 portions