Frederick Brushaber’s soup here to show you cheeseburgers really do belong in soup form!

Kickin’ Cheeseburger Soup

• 1-¾ cups water
• 4 carrots
• 1 green pepper
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 3-4 average Russet potatoes
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2-½ cups Our Family® Milk
• 3 tbsp. Our Family® All-Purpose Flour
• 8 oz. Our Family® Cheddar Cheese
• 8 oz. Our Family® Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ lb. Our Family® Bacon

1. Peel, wash and grate carrots. Chop green pepper. De-seed and chop jalapeño pepper. Peel, wash and cube potatoes. Brown and drain ground beef. Cook and crumble bacon.
2. Boil for 15 mins: water, carrots, green pepper, jalapeño pepper, potatoes, garlic, bouillon and salt.
3. Add ground beef and 2 cups milk to pot. Bring to boil.
4. In bowl, combine 1/2 cup milk and flour stir until no clumps. Slowly add bowl contents while stirring pot. Bring to boil.
5. Lower to simmer. While stirring, add both cheeses and cayenne pepper.
6. Serve into bowls and add bacon to top.

“I love Kickin’ Cheeseburger Soup because it reminds me of my grandparents. Grandma would cook this when Grandpa would take the grandkids fishing. She knew Grandpa was an awful fisherman – spending most of his time socializing at neighbor’s docks – so she needed something the grandkids would like and that could be stored if Grandpa actually got lucky fishing, and Cheeseburger Soup was born. The ‘Kickin” part is a modern addition to spice it up a bit, yet stay true to the roots.”

— Frederick Brushaber, Grand Blanc, MI

View the winning recipe for Fiocchi Family Pasta e Fagioli here!