Cheeseburger Rice Soup
I made this thick, hearty soup for a fellowship meal and everyone loved it! (You can make it the day before and reheat for an event if you need to.) This recipe is based off of an old church cookbook recipe that my mom used to make. The original called for a copious amount of Velveeta cheese, but I used all real ingredients in this healthy version. Cheesy, hearty comfort food at its best! Feel free to halve the recipe if you don't need 8 quarts. Gluten/egg free if using non-contaminated ingredients. Use carton coconut milk in place of the nut milk for a nut-free version. (Most people with tree nut allergies can have coconut products, but confirm with your doctor first.)
Author: Briana Thomas
Recipe type: THM Crossover - Healthy Carbs & Healthy Fats
Serves: 8 quarts
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups uncooked brown rice
- -
- 3 lb. ground beef
- -
- 2 cups coined carrots
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 med. onions (chopped)
- -
- 1½ lb. (6 cups) shredded yellow queso cheese
- 4 cups unsweetened almond or cashew milk (not vanilla flavored)
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups reduced-fat sour cream
- 1 cup half and half
- 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon each garlic powder, parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons THM Super Sweet Blend
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons each salt, black pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- To prepare the brown rice I add 6 cups of water and 3 cups of uncooked brown rice (not instant) to a large soup kettle (8 quarts or larger) and cook according to package directions. Do not season.
- Meanwhile, add the ground beef and a splash of water to a skillet and cook the beef completely. Crumble the ground beef, drain the grease/liquid off (reserving a few tablespoons), and set the meat aside.
- Fry the carrots, celery, and onions in the skillet in a few tablespoons of reserved grease/liquid from frying the ground beef. Cover and cook until tender.
- When the rice is finished cooking, add the ground beef and vegetables to the soup kettle with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer until the cheese melts but do not boil, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt if necessary. This makes a very thick, hearty soup like my mom used to make, but feel free to add more liquid to thin it out if you prefer. Serve when the soup is hot and the cheese is melted.
Notes
-I use Better than Bouillon available from Walmart. It's high quality and has amazing flavor.
-A little THM Super Sweet Blend helps round out the flavor. Don't worry - the sweetness dissipates as the soup cooks and the end result isn't noticeably sweet.
-I used shredded queso cheese (available from Walmart) in this soup since it melts really well and reminds me of Velveeta, but feel free to substitute with your favorite shredded cheese.
-I'm sure some of you will ask if you can use cauli rice to replace the 6 cups of cooked brown rice and turn this into a THM S recipe. I highly recommend that you use real brown rice in this recipe for optimum comfort food level and heartiness. Use it as a treat now and then, or enjoy it more often when you reach goal weight. But, if you want to try using cauli rice in place of the brown rice, be my guest. The soup probably won't be as thick, so feel free to add more cauli rice than the brown rice called for in the recipe. (You would use 6+ cups of cauli rice in place of the 6 cups of water and 3 cups of uncooked brown rice. I would try sautéing it with the vegetables, then add the rest of the ingredients. You may want to decrease the amount of carrots if you want a true THM S since they're not a non-starchy veggie.) But all this experimentation will be upon your own head. I can only vouch for the recipe as written. ;)
-This soup does freeze OK. It looks really weird when you get it out of the freezer and let it thaw, but once you heat it up it becomes soup again. The rice is a little softer than when it's fresh, but it's still good.
-A little THM Super Sweet Blend helps round out the flavor. Don't worry - the sweetness dissipates as the soup cooks and the end result isn't noticeably sweet.
-I used shredded queso cheese (available from Walmart) in this soup since it melts really well and reminds me of Velveeta, but feel free to substitute with your favorite shredded cheese.
-I'm sure some of you will ask if you can use cauli rice to replace the 6 cups of cooked brown rice and turn this into a THM S recipe. I highly recommend that you use real brown rice in this recipe for optimum comfort food level and heartiness. Use it as a treat now and then, or enjoy it more often when you reach goal weight. But, if you want to try using cauli rice in place of the brown rice, be my guest. The soup probably won't be as thick, so feel free to add more cauli rice than the brown rice called for in the recipe. (You would use 6+ cups of cauli rice in place of the 6 cups of water and 3 cups of uncooked brown rice. I would try sautéing it with the vegetables, then add the rest of the ingredients. You may want to decrease the amount of carrots if you want a true THM S since they're not a non-starchy veggie.) But all this experimentation will be upon your own head. I can only vouch for the recipe as written. ;)
-This soup does freeze OK. It looks really weird when you get it out of the freezer and let it thaw, but once you heat it up it becomes soup again. The rice is a little softer than when it's fresh, but it's still good.
Recipe by Briana Thomas at https://www.briana-thomas.com/cheeseburger-rice-soup/