Challenge #1: Cheeseburger in a Bowl
Welcome to Swinging with the Dishes! My name is Lori and I have always wanted to start a food blog, as I am passionate about food, its history, growth, and chemical properties etc. As this is the first blog on our site, I wanted to begin with something fun and lighthearted. I asked my daughter, Bee, if she wanted to give me a challenge because she tends to come up with good ones! She once challenged me to write a story that took place in Brazil during a raptor attack and the main character was to be an apple. It wound up being published, but that’s a story for another day!… She told me she wanted to see if I could make a cheeseburger soup that actually tasted like a cheeseburger. She said she didn’t want any random potatoes or other veggies that don’t belong on a cheeseburger because it isn’t really a cheeseburger soup with them in it. She wanted to feel like she was truly experiencing a cheeseburger when she tasted it.
I set out to design a soup that would meet these requirements. To me, a classic cheeseburger is a beef patty on a sesame bun with cheddar, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and sometimes onions (sometimes bacon too if its a bacon cheeseburger). I didn’t want to sway too far from this. I also know that Bee does not like processed cheese, so I knew I needed to approach the soup differently than most cheeseburger soups I come across, which use Velveeta as the cheese base. In the end, I was told that it was a success! There are a few things I would tweak next time around, and I will update the recipe to reflect those changes. It was a super fun project and I look forward to having more challenges in the future! : )
So, bearing in mind that this was a cooking challenge for something fun, and not an attempt to make a super healthy meal, this is how I approached the recipe:
Cheeseburger in a Bowl
This soup needed to have the comfort of home cooking and be addictive like a fast food burger. I didn’t want to leave out the bun, so I chose to top it with fluffy dumplings and toasted sesame seeds. I think the end result was rich and creamy and hit all the notes I was looking for. I made sure to include the burger toppings which I deemed necessary for the taste of a cheeseburger, since so many soups I found online were basically just hamburger, processed cheese, and random vegetables. I think I came pretty close!
*On a side note, this dish could easily be made vegetarian or even vegan. To do so, substitute the beef with veggie ground round, the bacon with soy based bacon bits, the broth with vegetable broth, the milk with any vegetarian milk, and the butter, cheddar and cream cheese with vegan versions. I’m willing to bet it would still taste delicious!
Prep the ingredients
I began the process of making this soup by chopping the veggies. The pickles and onions, I diced. The dill and parsley were finely chopped (although dried herbs will also work fine in this recipe). I thinly sliced the bacon, but it could be diced too or left out all together, and it would still be delicious! I used homemade dill pickles, but any tangy pickle that would work on a cheeseburger will taste great!
Crisp up the Bacon
The bacon needed to be rendered out and cooked until almost crispy in a large pot over medium heat. When it reached our desired crispiness, it was removed with a slotted spoon to paper towels. I poured off all of the fat except for a couple of tablespoons to cook the onions in.
Soften the Onions
By this point there should be a lot of bacon fat in the pan and some fond (the little browned bits of flavour) should be forming on the bottom of the pot. I sautéed the onions until they were transparent and starting to brown around the edges a little. The moisture from the onions de-glazed the pan while they cooked.
Add the Beef!
This is the part where the beef goes in. I chopped the beef to break it up while it cooked. Whether to use regular or lean beef for this recipe is a personal choice. If regular beef is used and has too much fat, it can always be drained off after it is fully cooked and before the next step.
Make it a soup
I stirred in the cream cheese at this point. It may seem like an odd ingredient in a cheeseburger, but it plays a couple of important roles in this broth. It makes the soup creamy, because if it was made with milk and pickle brine, the milk would likely curdle. It also stabilizes the broth so that it doesn’t split when the dumplings are cooking after the cheese is added. You really can’t tell it’s in there when the soup is finished, but it has to be melted into the meat mixture before adding the broth or it might remain lumpy in the finished product.
Once the cream cheese was mixed in, I added the broth. It is very important to use a low sodium broth here, because the cheese and the pickle brine will make it too salty if the broth is already salted.
Add the condiments
The pickles, ketchup, and mustard were added in here. The ground black pepper went in too. Once it was all combined, I stirred in the pickle brine. Then I let it simmer for 10 minutes to combine the flavours. It shouldn’t be a full boil at this point, but it should be bubbling a bit. If it is clear that there is not enough broth, this would be the time to add more, but keep in mind that it needs to be thick enough to be a creamed soup.
Making Dumplings
While the soup was simmering, I mixed up some basic dumplings. I combined the flour, baking powder, onion salt (garlic salt would also work), and parsley in a medium bowl. In the recipe, I suggest melting the butter and adding it next before the milk. I melted it into the milk, which also worked, though it probably would be better to add it separately in case not all of the milk is needed to make the dough.
Finish the Dough
When the dough comes together, it’s ready. It shouldn’t be over-mixed or the dumplings may be too dense and tough. I set this dough aside while finishing the soup.
Add some Herbs
This soup is going to be very rich and creamy, so adding some fresh herbs helps cut through the richness a bit. It also adds some lovely colour to the soup. I stirred in the fresh parsley and dill here.
Make it bacon
If there is going to be bacon in this soup, this is when to add it. I really liked the addition of bacon to the soup for some smokiness, but it is entirely optional.
Make it Cheesy!
It wouldn’t be cheeseburger soup without cheese, so now is the time to add it in. I used a sharp cheddar in ours, and I highly recommend it for maximum cheesiness, though medium or mild would work too if that’s what you are into. I’m sure this would be delicious with any favourite cheese or blend of cheeses. Whichever is going in, it’s important to stir it until it is completely melted into the broth. The soup needs to be at a simmer, but it should not be boiling once the cheese is added. If it is too hot, the temperature needs to be lowered.
Add some “buns”
While the broth was at a low simmer, I used two spoons to drop tablespoons of the dumpling mixture onto the soup. I closed the lid to allow the dumplings to cook without peeking for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling came out clean. If the dumplings need longer, put the lid back on and give them a few more minutes.
Eat Up!
The soup is complete! We served it with a couple of dumplings in each bowl. We garnished it with parsley and toasted sesame seeds. Sliced pickles or chopped onions would also be great on top!
Bee’s Challenge Response
It bugged me while looking through the web, that I could only find cheeseburger soups with carrots, peas, and other veggies that are not traditionally found on a cheeseburger. When looking for a recipe, I want something that resembles a cheeseburger’s taste, but as a soup: hence this challenge. For me, a cheeseburger is a sesame bun with a patty, ketchup, cheese (I prefer cheddar), and pickles inside. A loaded cheeseburger may also have mustard, onions, tomato, bacon, or lettuce in the sandwich. These are the some of the flavours I would expect from a dish called cheeseburger soup.
The soup did well to make the expected favours the star of the dish. It is very rich, but is cut by the dill pickle essence. I was not expecting the bun to play a role in the soup, so the dumplings were a pleasant surprise. I have not had, nor seen, a hamburger soup out there that is sour dill and cheesy based before (or one with dumplings for that matter). The soup could easily become a guilty pleasure, as are cheeseburgers, so I would say this challenge was successful.
Cheeseburger in a Bowl
Ingredients
- 5 strips of bacon, diced or thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 lb (453 g) ground beef
- 4 oz (125 g) cream cheese
- 1 qt (900 mL) carton sodium reduced/sodium free chicken stock*
- 1 cup (250 mL) diced dill pickles
- 1 cup (250 mL) dill pickle brine
- 1/2 tsp (3 mL) black pepper
- 2 cups (500 mL) shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) parsley, chopped
- 1/8 cup (30 mL) fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
- 1 1/3 cups (308 mL) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) onion or garlic salt
- 1/8 cup (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley or 1 tbsp dried
- 2/3 cup (158 mL) milk
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Chopped dill pickes or onions
- Toasted Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables: Dice dill pickles, chop dill, and dice or finely chop bacon, if using.
- Sauté bacon over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven until almost crisp. Remove to a paper towel with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of bacon fat from the pot.
- Sauté onions in remaining bacon fat until beginning to get brown around the edges.
- Add the ground beef. Cook while chopping to break the meat up until it is cooked through.
- Add cream cheese and stir until incorporated.
- Add stock and stir until smooth.
- Add dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, and pickle brine. Season with black pepper.
- Bring to a simmer on medium to medium-low heat. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes to blend flavours.
- While the soup simmers, combine flour, baking powder, onion or garlic salt, and parsley in a medium bowl.
- Stir in the melted butter. Add milk slowly, just until the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix. Set aside.
- After the 10 minute simmering time, stir the cheese into the soup until fully melted. Check for seasoning.
- Stir in the parsley and dill and reduce heat to a low simmer if necessary.
- Using 2 spoons, drop tablespoons of dumpling mixture on top of the soup.
- Close the lid and allow to cook without peeking for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean.
- Serve the dumplings in bowls of the soup. Garnish with sesame seeds, chopped parsley, pickles and/or onions, if desired.*
Notes:
*It is necessary to use low sodium stock in this recipe as many of the other ingredients contain high levels of sodium.
*To store leftovers, separate the dumplings from the soup and refrigerate in separate containers. This prevents the dumplings from turning to mush. Reheat the dumplings with the soup.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
665.03Fat (grams)
41.01Sat. Fat (grams)
18.96Carbs (grams)
33.45Fiber (grams)
2.65Net carbs
30.79Sugar (grams)
5.37Protein (grams)
39.99Sodium (milligrams)
1255.28Cholesterol (grams)
140.80Nutritional information is approximated using an online generator and is an estimate. The individual brands of products used may alter the nutritional information. This information is included as a courtesy guideline only.