Uncle Larry inspired Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

I'm writing this post in honor of Uncle Larry... and loving renaming this concoction ~ Uncle Larry inspired Bacon Cheeseburger Soup.

Uncle Larry & Aunt Jean LOVE Cheeseburger Soup... They love it so much that they've taken drastic measures to get the recipe... or figure it out on their own...

They asked the restaurant owner... she wouldn't budge. I'm sure her fears were that they were going to get their hands on her secret recipe and run the gamut... start their own restaurant maybe... put her out of business?

Uncle Larry laughed as he described to Aunt Robin how Aunt Jean would buy a bowl of soup... she'd get it to go ~ she'd take a bowl of soup home so she could pick it apart... and try to figure out all the ingredients.

Aunt Jean's version was much the same as Uncle Larry's except she added that when she looked up to ask Uncle Larry what he thought something might be... he was scraping the last of his soup from the bowl... So much for his help...

Finally Uncle Larry armed Aunt Robin with a list of ingredients that he and/or ahem Aunt Jean concluded were defanitely in the recipe... and suggested to Aunt Robin that maybe I might be able to come up with a recipe that mirrored their favorite soup. I tried... after the taste testing took place... Uncle Larry's review went something like this...

Maybe a little salty for Aunt Jean... she don't use salt... and it's missing a few things... but I'm not sure what... it's not quite like the Cheeseburger Soup recipe that we're trying to figure out but it's GOOD.

Everytime I make Bacon Cheeseburger Soup... I'll think of Uncle Larry and be thankful for him inspiring to me to create something I may have never considered creating otherwise.

Uncle Larry inspired Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:

5 Slices of Bacon, Diced

3 Small Cooking Onions, Diced

3 Pounds Ground Beef

2 Teaspoons Salt

2 Teaspoons Pepper

1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

3 Heaping Tablespoons Flour

2 ~ 14.5 Ounce Cans Chicken Broth

2 Cups Water

3 Teaspoons Chicken Soup Base

1 Cup Half & Half

24 Ounces Velveeta, Cubed

2 Tomatoes, Diced

Measurements are approximate ~ adjust according to taste.

Add bacon to a dutch oven and fry until crisp. Use a slotted spoon and remove the bacon to a paper towel. Add onions & sautee until translucent. Use a slotted spoon and remove the onions to a paper towel; add ground beef stirring to incorporate the bacon drippings throughout the beef. Add the worcestershire sauce and mustard. Fry 10-15 minutes; stir (or use a potato masher) to break up the ground beef.

Meanwhile, in a two quart pot add the half & half and velveeta. Simmer over low heat and whisk until the velveeta is melted.

Once the ground beef is cooked through use a large spoon to remove as much grease as possible (do not strain or run under water) (I spooned out a cup) I opted to go with the fattier ground beef to optimize flavor. Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Add the chicken broth, water, soup base & cheese sauce.

Heat through (do not boil) on low 15-20 minutes (stir frequently to prevent cheese from burning).

Garnish with diced tomatoes...