Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Time will pass and seasons will come and go, so to will football season inevitably end for every fan base...some sooner than others. Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans, the season has ended at the hands of a New England Patriots butt whoopin'. As hard as it is to admit, the better team clearly won....with that said...LETS GO PENS!!

Whenever I watch big games, like the Steelers/Patriots AFC Championship game, I always make a point to make something absolutely delicious. So that whatever the outcome of the game, at least I still win because I had something delicious...well that's my silver lining logic. So, in true fashion, I made this delicious Bacon Cheeseburger soup! What really makes this soup fantastic is layering the bacon flavor through the entire cooking process. This flavor layering can be achieved in lots of recipes, especially when using a fat (i.e. butter, oil, bacon fat, etc). In this example, I rendered fat from both the ground beef and bacon. I then saved that rendered fat and used it through the entire recipe. I used the golden delicious fat to saute the mirepoix, as well as, the base for the roux. Layering or building flavor, especially in soup, is definitely a great way to elevate any dish. With that said, lets check out this delicious recipe!

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Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Prep time: 45m | Cook time: 30min | Total time: 1hr 15min | Yield: 8 servings (2 1/4 quart)

Ingredients

1/2 lbs ground beef
4 slices bacon, 1" chop
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
3/4 cup celery, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1-3/4 pounds peeled potatoes, cubed (about 4 cups)
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package (16-ounce) Velvetta cheese, cubed
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup sour cream

Cooking Directions

1. In a dutch oven over medium heat, cook and crumble beef until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the dutch oven, add chopped bacon and cook until crispy and bacon fat is rendered. Place mesh sieve over a bowl and drain bacon, separating the bacon bits from fat. Set both the fat and cooked bacon aside. In same dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon bacon fat over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley until tender, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, beef and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of bacon fat until shimmering. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly, 3-5 minutes. Add roux to the soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and worchestershire sauce; cook until cheese melts. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream.
3. To service, top soup with shredded cheddar cheese, cooked bacon bits, and sliced scallions.

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Of course when throwing a Super Bowl Party (or should I say Soup-er Bowl Party...ba doom ching!) you may want to keep food out to snack on during the game. It is crucial that hot foods at above 135F and cold foods don't exceed 41F. Always check these temperatures every 2 hours to maintain proper food safety protocol. The best way to monitor food temperatures? Thermapen of course! I use mine pretty much every time I cook. It's incredibly accurate, easy to ready, fast, and most importantly durable. 

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Other delicious soup recipes...

Beef Stew

So here I am sitting in a hotel room in Saint Paul, MN on my third week of training and I figured I would work on a post since I am tired and don't feel like going out tonight. I ordered up some room service, put on my PJs and put on American Gangster. Definitely a relaxing evening!

This is by far my favorite hotel so far during our training period. They put us up in a Residence Inn right beside the Mall of America...Got my own suite and the coolest part is when I came back today housekeeping had organized all my toiletry stuff that I had scattered all over the counter, put my luggage up on one of the folding stands and folded up my brand new Sidney Crosby Team Canada jersey my Canadian friend brought for me. What service! Feeling a little spoiled not going to lie. 

Dark Chocolate in Beef Stew?! Don't knock it until you try it!

I made this beef stew St. Patricks Day weekend and while it was supposed to be kind a themed meal, it didn't really scream St. Pattys Day...but it was still delicious. My secret ingredient?? Dark Chocolate! Paired with the whole grain mustard it was a delicious beef stew. So while the weather still cold and sucky...why not make a delicious beef stew! You'll love it I promise...

Beef Stew

Total time: 1.5-2 hours | Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 26 oz Beef broth
• 2 Lbs Beef chuck, cubed
• 3 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2.5 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 Medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 Medium carrots, diced
• 2 Stalks celery, diced
• 10 Crimini mushrooms, diced
• 3 Yellow potatoes, diced
• 2 tsp Thyme leaves
• 100g Dark chocolate
• 2 tsp Black pepper
• 3 Tbsp All-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp Whole grain mustard
• 3 Tbsp Butter

Cooking Directions

1. Sear meat in bottom of pressure cooker until all sides are very dark. Then remove.
2. Add tomato paste and sear until dark. Add a small amount of water, and scrape away all the good bits at the bottom.
3. Add beef stock, then add meat back to pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 45 minutes.
4. Relieve pressure. Strain broth into a separate container and let it settle for a few minutes to separate fat.
5. While the broth is settling, remove meat from pressure cooker and pull into smaller pieces.
6. Skim fat off the surface of the broth, and return to pressure cooker. Boil off the liquid on high heat until completely evaporated. Then, add flour. Cook until dark, and then add all remaining broth.
7. Add vegetables, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and cook gently until tender.
8. Once the vegetables are cooked, return pulled meat to pot and keep at a low simmer for about 20 minutes.
9. Once the stew has simmered for about 20 minutes and all flavors have developed, add thyme, mustard, dark chocolate, and butter. Mix well.
10. Add fresh parsley last. If making in advance to serve later, add the parsley just before service.

Other soups you will enjoy...