Cheeseburger Soup (Optionally Spicy)

My friend told me how she was making cheeseburger soup for dinner and I was like, "Do share!" Her family likes things spicy, but we did a much less spicy version. Either way, it's a great, easy recipe.

See the original here: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/spicy-cheeseburger-soup/?fbclid=IwAR2Hevxdn6QEhnFtTQYEVhYf9NwuHROEjoPaOxqpsaponex53g2VxiuyZK0

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
• 3-1/2 cups 2% milk, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 16 ounces cubed Velveeta
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first 7 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Stir in beef and 2 cups milk; heat through. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add remaining milk if needed to get the right consistency.
3. Add cayenne pepper if desired. Top with additional bacon and shredded cheese when serving, if desired.

Marsha's Notes:

I cooked my onion along with my ground beef until done. Just before it was done, I added in my chopped, precooked bacon (1 package of the precooked stuff) and my minced garlic, just to heat through and crisp up the bacon and cook the garlic for just a minute. Then I took that off the heat and put it in a different bowl. Returning the pan to the heat, I then followed the directions pretty much as stated, using frozen cubed potato hashbrowns and pre-shredded carrots.. Be careful with your cayenne! We opened a new bottle for this recipe, and just a small sprinkling into the pot brought a lot of heat. If you want it spicier, the original recipe calls for 1 chopped jalapeno and 1/4 cup chopped green pepper.