How to Make The Recipe for Cheeseburger Soup from Diners Drive Ins and Dives
Cheeseburger soup is like cheeseburger pizza in that it remixes the cozy, wonderful aspects of a cheeseburger in a new form that defies the expectations of that form.
In the case of cheeseburger soup, it also combines the aspects of beer cheese soup, another perennial favorite, to give diners an exceptional experience. Like the pizza, this soup is then finished with a sprinkling of cool, crisp iceberg lettuce and tomato, for a complete experience.
This soup featured on the famous TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, is the product of Grover’s Bar & Grill in East Amherst, New York. A particular favorite of the restaurant’s patrons, it became a special favorite of the fans of the show as well, with many unofficial versions of the recipe popping up on the Internet.
Grover’s is a classic example of the kind of “greasy spoon” joint that Triple-D loves focusing on, with laminated paper menus, delicious and hearty burgers, and few frills. The soup is reported by fans of the show to live up to its billing, with flavor like a cheeseburger melted down, and all the trimmings.
For an even better cheeseburger soup experience, upgrade to a bacon cheeseburger soup and add a quarter-pound of bacon to the party.
This soup is fantastic, and reheats with very little drama, much like an episode of the show that introduced Grover’s cheeseburger soup to the world. You will love this fantastic recipe for cheeseburger soup from Diners Drive Ins and Dives.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb lean ground beef (use very lean beef)
- 1⁄4 cup flour
- 1⁄2 cup water
- 16 ounces of unsalted chicken stock
- 16 ounces Velveeta reduced-fat cheese product
- 2 cups fat-free half-and-half
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 4 ounces bacon (optional)
Equipment
- 1 cast iron dutch oven, or 1 2-gallon stock pot
- 1 cast iron skillet (if using the stock pot) for sauteing and frying.
Directions
- Prep all ingredients. Heat Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat and add the onions (and bacon if desired), frying until onions are translucent and bacon bits are crispy and have rendered out most or all of their fat.
- Render and brown the ground beef, stirring to break up the beef for the most part but make sure there are some chunks of varying sizes remaining. Spoon the bits out of the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Add butter and melt, then add flour and stir until the fats and flour form a roux, then stir in the water and stock, a little at a time, until a thickened broth has formed.
- Add the beef, onion, and (optionally) bacon back to the broth, incorporate Velveeta, and simmer until fully melted and incorporated.
- Temper the half-and-half and add it to the broth. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the cheesy, creamy broth from sticking to and burning on the sides of the cooking vessel.
- Do not try to break up the beef any further than it’s already broken up, having chunks of beef is essential to the character of this soup.
- Ladle into crocks, ramekins, or bowls and top with the lettuce and tomato. Serve.
FAQs
About Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
Since 2007, the show affectionately known as “Triple D” has been bringing interesting, obscure restaurants in both major cities and small towns across the United States to the attention of the food TV-viewing public.
The show’s engaging host, restauranteur Guy Fieri, introduces people to three featured restaurants during the show, allowing the restauranteurs to show off their signature dishes and brag a little bit about their place.
Restauranteur Guy Fieri, born January 22, 1968, co-owns three restaurants and licenses his name to two more. He is a powerhouse host on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Food Network.
His primary shows are Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, started in 2007, and spinoff Guy’s Grocery Games, which first aired six years later. His shows try to celebrate the parts of Americana that seem to be disappearing: Quirky local restaurants.
In addition to traditional culinary powerhouses like San Francisco, LA, Boston, and New York, “Triple D” also features metropolises less featured in traditional cooking and travelogue television, like the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, and San Diego, California.
About Grover’s Bar & Grill
Grover’s Bar & Grill, featured in an early episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, is a well-regarded (4/5 on Yelp, 4.6 on Google Reviews) greasy spoon diner in East Amherst, NY. Closed Sunday and Monday, the joint is hopping every other day of the week, making it a hard place to get into during peak times.
Grover’s is the kind of place Triple-D tends to look for, beloved by locals and virtually overlooked by tourists. It was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the Triple-D Effect, an effect wherein a previously-obscure restaurant gains new notoriety as a result of being featured on the show, allowing the owners to revel in some new prosperity.
A very notable example of this effect is Minneapolis, MN-based restauranteur Ann Kim, who rode the exposure of her pizza restaurant, Pizzeria Lola, being featured by Fieri to two new restaurants and a James Beard Award.
What Is Tempering?
Tempering protects milk products or other liquids with high amounts of protein from curdling when they’re added to a hot liquid. Normally, protein-rich liquids curdle when added to the hot liquid because the proteins denature at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius).
By heating them by adding them a little at a time to a small amount of the hot liquid, the proteins will still denature. Instead of doing so in large clumps, they will do so in very small clumps, making them easier to handle in the finished product and not affecting its flavor or texture.
Why Cast Iron?
Cast iron is an ideal material for cooking. It heats well and evenly and holds its heat very well. A cast-iron pot or pan can also last for decades; well-seasoned cast iron simply sheds food and grease, allowing its users to clean it quickly and easily for its next use.
Cast iron has been a popular cooking material for centuries because of its ease of production and weight, simplicity, and smooth heating. The best cast iron skillets and pans are made in the USA at Lodge Cast Iron in South Pittsburg, TN.
