Baby it's cold outside...so make some soup

Brrr... it's so cold outside. I only know this because I watch the weather, I haven't actually set foot outside since yesterday around 4pm. But, I hear it's freezing and I'll take the weatherman's word for it.

With all the snow we got overnight and the arctic temperatures outside I decided that today's lunch called for a big pot of soup. I had been reading some cooking blogs the night before and came across a recipe for Cheeseburger Soup. It sounded pretty good and I had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to take a chance and try something new today.

I was not disappointed. This soup was really good. I did modify it slightly. I cut back on the amount of onions, used a bit more cheese ( more cheese is always a good thing in my opinion) and left out the sour cream. We all enjoyed a big ol' bowl of it and even little Lucy like it.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
5 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 cans chicken broth
4 cups peeled, diced potatoes
1/4 cup flour2 cups (8oz) Velveeta, cubed (I used about 2 cups of cheddar and about 1/2 c.velveeta)
1 1/2 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream (I left this out)

In a 6-quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside beef. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 2 Tablespoons butter until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).
Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small pan, melt remaining 3 Tablespoons of butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until bubbly. Whisk into soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add Velveeta, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Makes 8 servings.