Low Sodium Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
This low sodium cheeseburger soup recipe is creamy, flavorful, and loaded with ground beef and hearty vegetables in each bite! It’s a great cozy soup, perfect for a lunch or dinner, and easy to prep once and enjoy for a few meals throughout the week.
See our step-by-step photos on how to make this great low sodium comfort food! It’s a fantastic one-pot soup option that the whole family will love. Skip the bun and enjoy some great low sodium burger flavors today!
Want more low sodium soup recipes? Try our low sodium vegetable soup recipe, low sodium lemon chicken soup, and our favorite creamy low sodium potato soup!
Now that the weather has cooled down here in New England, I was looking for a super hearty and cozy soup that I could enjoy on these chilly evenings! I decided to make a cheeseburger-inspired soup which has some great vegetables and is a fun twist on burger night.
Start by browning ground beef, and sauteing flavorful vegetables like onions, carrots, potatoes, and cooking everything in a delicious no-salt-added beef broth with some cream cheese melted in. It’s a bit of an unusual recipe but it tastes really good, and is a full meal-in-a-bowl! If you like cheeseburgers you won’t be disappointed in this cozy soup.
Notes from Our Kitchen
- This soup is creamy, filling, satisfying, and SO good!
- It has a nice variety of meat and vegetables like onions, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes.
- A fun twist on classic burgers – but with much less sodium.
- It makes a great meal prep lunch or dinner idea, and it freezes well!
- Cooks of any skill level can successfully make this dish by following our step-by-step photos and directions below.
Ingredients You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for a full list of instructions and ingredient amounts!
The star of this soup is lean ground beef. I try to use 90% or 93% lean, and stock up when it’s on sale. I also use a no–salt–added beef broth as the base of the soup.
This recipe also loads up on the veggies. Saute garlic, onions, and carrots until tender, and add in the chopped potatoes to simmer in the broth. I also like adding no-salt-added diced tomatoes for some color and texture.
The ‘cheese’ in this cheeseburger soup is actually cream cheese, which melts into the broth for a tasty and velvety texture. I add the turmeric for the yellow color, since yellow cheese is more traditional on cheeseburgers. I also use a roux of unsalted butter and flour, and milk in the broth for a creamy texture.
With most of my recipes on this site, I finish the soup with both lemon juice and parsley – my favorite low sodium flavor adders that make the flavors of this soup pop!
Additions and Substitutions
The turmeric is optional, it’s just for a little yellow color in the soup. If you don’t have any on hand, you can omit it and it won’t change the flavor of this dish.
The canned tomatoes are optional. I usually get tomatoes on my cheeseburger, so I added them to the soup and they worked well… but they aren’t necessary to the final dish.
You can top the soup with a little extra shredded cheese (I am able to find a good low sodium shredded Swiss at my grocery store) but that is also optional. Or stir in a tablespoon of cream cheese to your bowl right before serving.
Feel free to serve with a little fresh chopped iceberg lettuce or chopped onions to keep with the cheeseburger theme!
Step-By-Step Photos & Directions
Step 1: In a large pot, brown the ground beef over 8-10 minutes, until fully cooked through (no more pink). Remove the cooked meat from the pot, drain the grease, and set the meat aside.
Step 2: In the same pot, saute the onions for 5-6 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrots and dried basil and saute for a 3-4 minutes more.
Step 3: To the vegetables, add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, sprinkle in the flour, and stir to make a thick roux to coat the vegetables.
Step 4: Add the chicken broth and stir well until the flour has dissolved into the broth.
Step 5: Add the potatoes and the milk to the soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Add the ground beef back to the pot, and stir in the turmeric, cream cheese, and the diced tomatoes. Stir until the cream cheese dissolves.
Step 7: Finish the soup with the fresh lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot!
Recipe FAQs
Cream cheese is a great low sodium cheese option for soups, as it melts into the broth as you stir the soup. You could also use mascarpone cheese too, if you can find that at your local grocery store – it’s a great low sodium cheese.
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Absolutely, both ground turkey or ground chicken would be great alternatives to the beef in this soup. You can also use a no-salt-added chicken broth instead of the beef broth too.
Yes, I found this soup freezes really well! Once cooked, make sure the soup has completely cooled and store it in individual portions in freezer bags or mason jars
Expert Tips
- Make sure to chop the vegetables to be roughly the same size. You want the pieces of carrot and potatoes to be consistent and bite-sized throughout the soup.
- Making the roux really helps give the soup a thick and creamy texture.
- You can use any milk you prefer – or use half and half or cream for a richer soup texture.
More Easy Low Sodium Soup Recipes
- Low Sodium Tomato Soup
- Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup
- The best Low Sodium Miso Soup
- Low Sodium Egg Drop Soup
- Low Sodium Gazpacho
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Low Sodium Cheeseburger Soup
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef I used 93% lean
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 large carrots sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 cups no-salt-added beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 4 medium potatoes diced small
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 lemons juiced
- 14 ounces no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef over 8-10 minutes, until fully cooked through (no more pink). Remove the cooked meat from the pot, drain the grease, and set the meat aside.
- In the same pot, saute the onions for 5-6 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrots and dried basil and saute for a 3-4 minutes more.
- To the vegetables, add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, sprinkle in the flour, and stir to make a thick roux to coat the vegetables.
- Add the chicken broth and stir well until the flour has dissolved into the broth.
- Add the potatoes and the milk to the soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add the ground beef back to the pot, and stir in the turmeric, cream cheese, and the diced tomatoes. Stir until the cream cheese dissolves.
- Finish the soup with the fresh lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition estimate (for 1 serving)
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used in our kitchen. It will vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify your nutrition content and sodium amounts.
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