Cheeseburger Soup

Because Indiana is being...well...Indiana, my menu plan this week contains both soup and grilling plans. Sigh. It's hard to have winter and spring in the same week. And truthfully, at this point, I'm about to give up on spring.

Anyway. Several of you asked me about the cheeseburger soup a few weeks ago when I made it and blogged something about it, so I made it again this week and am ready to present it today!!

First of all, allow me to say that cheeseburger soup was something I first had years ago at a church carry-in, and though I was wary at first Seriously? Cheeseburger in a soup????), I loved it and asked for the recipe. Fun fact: I made this dish one night when a guy friend was coming over for dinner and he never showed up. I didn't say anything about it, because I feared he thought it was a date and freaked out/bailed, but WEEKS later, he confessed he forgot. Let's just say I ate soup for d.a.y.s.

Anyway. Despite that little awkward memory, I made this soup often and even featured it here on the old blogaroo.

But between the potatoes and the processed cheese, I felt bad continuing to make it - UNTIL!!!!! - a few weeks ago, my friend Allison said something on Facebook about a cheeseburger soup recipe made with cauliflower in place of potatoes. Stop it. Just stop it. It sounded terrifying, actually, but after she FULLY reassured me it was not even noticeable, I decided to give it a whirl.

Shut. The.  Front. Door.

You guys, it really was so good. And I didn't even tell Ryan I'd swapped out the potatoes in favor of the cauliflower, and he didn't even pick up on it. Truth.

So without further ado, I present my healthfully-improved cheeseburger soup recipe. Ryan tested and approved.

Healthier Cheeseburger Soup

* 1 pound ground turkey
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 3/4 cup shredded carrots
* 3/4 cup diced celery
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
* 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
* 1 head cauliflower, cut into smaller pieces
* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (lowfat)
* 1 1/2 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

In a large pot, brown and drain the ground turkey. Add chopped onion, shredded carrots, and diced celery, along with basil and parsley and allow to cook a bit until vegetables grow tender. Add chicken broth, cauliflower, and cheese, along with milk, seasoned salt and Greek yogurt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Smash at cauliflower if you need it to be a bit more unrecognizable. Serve warm.

A Few Tips.

* We use ground turkey, but if you just hate ground turkey, you could, of course, use ground beef instead. Or ground whatever you like.

* For the love of Pete, Jane, and Sally, buy carrots that are already shredded. I nearly cried in the grocery last weekend when that little slot in the refrigerator sat bare. Shredding carrots on the little shredder can be awfully dangerous for klutzes like me.

* I don't think the low sodium chicken broth sacrifices flavor, but if you feel it does, you can buy regular OR add extra seasoning to compensate.

* I try to cut the cauliflower fairly small before I dump it in the pot, but if you find the pieces are still too big, just mash them up a bit as they start to soften in the soup. I actually don't mind them a little bigger, but if you're trying to trick someone...

* I use low fat/fat free milk and find it to add plenty enough creaminess.  Same for the yogurt.

* I let this simmer for about an hour before serving, but the longer it sits, the more the flavors marry. So I guess it depends on how picky you are about that stuff and how hungry you are when you cook it!

This pairs well with crackers/salads/cornbread/whatever you like, and it does reheat well!