One freezing January night, I stood staring into my fridge and pantry wondering how to make dinner out of a pound of ground beef, a can of Rotel, and a block of Velveeta. The temperature had dropped and I needed something warm and hearty without running to the store. So, I browned the beef with an onion I found in the pantry, tossed in some garlic, then stirred in a can of Rotel and melted in the Velveeta until everything turned into the creamiest cheeseburger soup with Velveeta. My family scraped their bowls clean. Now this easy cheeseburger soup recipe is my answer to cold nights when the pantry looks bare but everyone needs real comfort food.
Ground beef, diced Rotel tomatoes, and Velveeta cheese combine to create a fantastic soup that tastes like you’re eating soup and a cheeseburger! Make it in less than 30 minutes on the stovetop or 5-7 hours in a slow cooker.
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Why We Love This Easy Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
- Budget Friendly – There are just 5 simple ingredients in this recipe – no chicken broth needed! And, you may even have all of them on hand already.
- Feeds a Crowd – This creamy, beefy, cheesy soup is ideal for feeding a hungry crowd.
- Two Cooking Options – Stovetop or Crockpot! It’s easy and quick to make this soup on your stove in a saucepan or large Dutch oven. But when you have a busy night coming up, assemble your crockpot cheeseburger soup in the morning before heading out. You’ll have a readymade dinner when you get home.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
With only 5 ingredients, it’s a simple and budget-friendly soup recipe. So, the next time you want to warm up on major comfort food, make this delicious soup. We recommend serving it in our bread bowls!
- Rotel diced tomatoes – This is simply petite diced tomatoes with green chiles. Feel free to use regular diced tomatoes if you prefer a milder flavor or add a small can of diced chiles as a replacement.
- Ground beef – We use 85% lean ground beef. To reduce the calories and fat, you can use ground chicken or turkey instead.
- Velveeta – for substitutions, see our Velveeta substitutions post.
Recipe Variations
This cheeseburger soup recipe with Velveeta is pretty simple, as written. But there are a few ways you could change it up if you wanted to:
- Add veggies! Include some diced celery or green bell pepper to the beef while it’s browning. If you want, you can even substitute canned or frozen corn for the Rotel tomatoes.
- Increase the spiciness. If you want more spice, add a tablespoon or two of diced jalapeño peppers to the soup.
- Make it heartier. Add some black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans to the soup to increase the fiber and protein. Or, add cooked cubed potatoes for a cheeseburger chowder.
As written, this recipe makes a thick and hearty cheeseburger soup:
For a thinner soup, add 1-2 cups of beef broth.
For a spicier flavor, use Original Rotel. We use mild Rotel for just a hint of spiciness.
If you love Velveeta cheese as much as we do, you’ve got to try our delicious Velveeta cheese dip recipe!
How to Make Cheeseburger Soup with Velveeta
Step 1: Start by browning the ground beef, onions, and garlic in a soup pot over medium heat until the meat is completely browned and the onions are translucent.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Be sure to drain the fat! If you skip the step of browning the meat before slow cooking, your cheeseburger soup will be very greasy.
Step Two: Add Rotel and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add the lid to the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in Velveeta until it melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
When it’s ready, serve it alone or with your favorite garnishes. I like to top it with diced mild chiles and fresh cilantro.
What to Serve with Cheeseburger Soup
We like to garnish it with guacamole, a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, or hot sauce. This beefy Velveeta soup is perfect with a side of biscuits! We recommend our cheddar and jalapeno biscuits, 3 ingredient biscuit, or our biscuit recipe using self rising flour.
Recipe FAQs
I don’t recommend adding the ground beef without browning it first. If you like set it and forget it slow cooker recipes, brown a batch of ground beef and then separate it into smaller freezer bags. Then you can add it to the slow cooker for recipes like this slow cooker meal.
You can use diced tomatoes and diced green chiles instead of the Rotel. You can also substitute generic brands of Rotel-style diced tomatoes and green chiles. It doesn’t have to be the Rotel brand.
Velveeta soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Just put it in an airtight container and it will last in the fridge for a few days.
When you want to reheat it, I recommend doing so on the stovetop. Heat it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s hot throughout.
You could also reheat it in the microwave, but be aware that the cheese may become stringy. If you don’t mind that, then, by all means, reheat away!
To freeze the cheese soup, first let it cool completely. Then, transfer it to a freezer-safe container. We suggest using freezer-safe storage bags or plastic containers with lids.
The night before you want to serve it, thaw the frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it’s hot throughout.
More Soup Recipes To Love…
If you tried this beefy Velveeta cheese soup recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Velveeta Cheeseburger Soup
Equipment
- Soup pot or Crockpot slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 85% lean
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 20 ounces (2 cans) Rotel mild diced tomatoes undrained (see notes for substitutions)
- 1 pound Velveeta Cheese cut into cubes (see notes for substitutions)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- In a medium dutch oven or soup pot, brown the beef, onions, and garlic (about 5 minutes), then drain fat off.
- Add Rotel and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add a lid to the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in Velveeta until it melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with crushed corn chips, cheese, or even bacon bits. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Crock Pot Instructions
- Brown the beef, onions, and garlic in a skillet. Drain fat and add to the crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook on low for 5-7 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
- Garnish with crushed corn chips, cheese, or even bacon bits. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Rotel diced tomatoes – use petite diced tomatoes with green chiles. Feel free to use regular diced tomatoes if you prefer a milder flavor or add a small can of diced chiles as a full Rotel replacement.
- Ground beef – We use 85% lean ground beef. To reduce the calories and fat, you can use ground chicken or turkey instead.
- Velveeta – for substitutions, see our Velveeta substitutions post.
- Add veggies! Include some diced celery or green bell pepper to the beef while it’s browning. If you want, you can even substitute canned or frozen corn for the Rotel tomatoes.
- Increase the spiciness. If you want more spice, add a tablespoon or two of diced jalapeño peppers to the soup.
- Make it heartier. Add a can of black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans to the soup to increase the fiber. Or, add cooked cubed potatoes for a cheeseburger chowder.
- Store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Just put it in an airtight container and it will last in the fridge for a few days.
- Reheat on the stovetop or microwave..Heat it over low-medium heat on the stove, stirring occasionally, until it’s heated throughout.Or reheat it in the microwave on 50% heat for 1 minute at a time
Nutrition
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Gail Aleshire says
No liquid in the soup? Like broth or stock?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Great question! It might seem surprising, but this recipe doesn’t need additional broth or stock, the Rotel tomatoes (with their liquid) and Velveeta create a rich, cheesy soup base once everything melts together. If you’d like a thinner consistency, you can absolutely add 1/2 to 1 cup of broth or milk when stirring in the cheese. Just be sure to adjust the seasoning if you do.
Esme Slabbert says
Dear Renae
Thank you so much for sharing your Keto link in the Blogger Round Up Requests FB Group. I am working and finalizing this ASAP and it should be published on March 3. Thanks again!
Tracy says
What can I do to reduce so much sodium?
Renae says
I recommend using no salt tomatoes, and skipping the salt in the recipe. You can further reduce sodium by using the Velveeta cheese substitution (shown in the blog post under substitutions) of 8 ounces of cream cheese and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.