Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
32 oz carton beef broth
32 oz bag frozen cubed or shredded hash browns
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
2+ cups milk

In a large soup pot, brown beef and crumble chuck with onion, celery, carrots, basil and parsley.  Drain if necessary (I used really lean meat and actually had to add a teensy bit of olive oil).  Add broth and hash browns (I only used about 3/4 of the bag - personal choice!), bring to a boil and simmer 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk the flour and water in a small bowl until smooth.  Stir into soup.  Simmer and then add the cheese, stirring until it melts.  Add milk, according to desired amount of creaminess you prefer.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

This was really good soup!  From e-Meals.