Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Makeover Cheeseburger Soup
Cheeseburger soup with all it's rich, creamy satisfying goodness, is a family favorite that's easy and delicious.
There's only one problem: It's full of fat and calories! One recipe I looked at had 795 calories and 74 grams of fat!
Is it possible to make a cheeseburger soup that's lighter and healthier and and still delicious?
I love magazine articles that focus on "making over" favorite high calorie recipes by making light and healthy switches.
This is what I did recently when my Mom, who is staying with us, said she had a craving for cheeseburger soup. I made this "Makeover Cheeseburger Soup" instead.
Makeover Cheeseburger Soup
Recipe Notes
I went on a recipe search and found two makeover cheeseburger soup recipes that looked good, took what I thought was the best from each, and made some additional healthy swaps.
I was able to cut the fat and calories a lot by using extra lean ground beef, non-fat milk and reduced fat Velveeta.
We had it for dinner the other night and everyone loved it! This lightened up cheeseburger soup is thick and creamy, with the consistency of a chowder.
Comfort food at it's best!
With a few simple side dishes - like warm, crusty bread and a leafy green salad - it makes a satisfying supper.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Lightened Up Soup?
According to my calculations, each serving has 209 calories and:
6 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
6 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Recipe Variations
spicier: for a spicier soup, you can stir in ¼ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the cheese
leaner: for a leaner soup, replace the extra lean ground beef with lean ground turkey
toppings: garnish with a little crispy crumbled turkey bacon or crushed tortilla chips, if desired
no potatoes: I think this soup would be good with 2 cups of cooked long-grain and wild rice blend instead of the potatoes
Are You Ready To Slim Down With Soup?
If you like this lightened up recipe for cheeseburger soup, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers friendly soup recipes including Hearty Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew, Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup, Mom's Lentil Sausage Stew, Ham & Potato Soup Made Lighter and Creamy Potato Mushroom Soup
Makeover Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups beef broth
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- ¼ cup chopped green pepper
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ pound extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
- 1-½ cups non-fat evaporated milk, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ pound reduced-fat pasteurized process cheese, cubed (I used reduced fat Velveeta)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a large saucepan set over medium, combine the broth, vegetables and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the ground beef and 1 cup of the evaporated milk.
- In a small bowl (affiliate link), combine the flour and remaining ½ cup evaporated milk until it's smooth, then gradually stir it into the soup.
- Bring to a simmer, cook and stir until thick and bubbly, 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat, add the cheese and paprika and stir until melted.
Recipe Notes
- spicier: for a spicier soup, you can stir in ¼ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the cheese.
- leaner: for a leaner soup, replace the extra lean ground beef with lean ground turkey.
- toppings: garnish with a little crispy crumbled turkey bacon or crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
- no potatoes: I think this soup would be good with 2 cups of cooked long-grain and wild rice blend instead of the potatoes.
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
This video shows another way to make hearty slow cooker cheeseburger soup for Weight Watchers:
More Satisfying Soup Recipes Made Lighter for Weight Watchers
- Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham (SkinnyTaste)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita & Quinoa Soup (EatYourselfSkinny)
- Sausage & Tortellini Tomato Soup (EmilyBites)
- Sausage, White Bean & Spinach Soup (SlenderKitchen)
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup (SkinnyTaste)
- Creamy Potato & Cauliflower Cheesy Soup (DrizzleMeSkinny)
Here's KatieOnTheFlipSide showing how she makes her own version of cheeseburger soup:
Search for More Hearty 'n Healthy Soup Recipes
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Shelly
HOLY CRAP!!! I cannot believe no one has commented on the amazing-ness of this soup!!! I would say that all in all it took me closer to an hour for prep and cooking than the 45 minutes listed, but I didn't even care it was so wonderful!! It is such a rich and creamy soup, it's one of those 'I can't believe it's only 5 points' soups! As a matter if fact, my wife, who is not a soup-for-dinner fan, loved it! Thank you for sharing this!!! Delicious!!!!!!
Martha
Thanks, Shelly. Glad you enjoyed the soup. Having others find pleasure in the recipes I post here makes my heart sing 🙂
Elana
This was fantastic! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Angela
Good soup! Rich and creamy - seems/tastes like it would be a lot higher in points than it is. 1 cup and a small salad or piece of fruit makes a delicious and filling lunch.
Debbie
i tried the makeover cheeseburger soup but added a diced onion and garlic cloves (I do not think I changed the point values). I not only loved it but I feed it to my unsuspecting family and they loved it! Thanks so much! I am trying the bubble up enchiladas tonight...
Martha McKinnon
Hi Debbie,
Glad you and your unsuspecting family liked it. Adding onion and garlic seems like a brilliant idea 🙂
Emily
Really loved this soup. It was quick and easy, although I had a second pair of hands helping. Delicious!!!
Martha McKinnon
Glad you liked it, Emily!!
Christy
This has become my favorite cold weather recipe! It's also my go to "company" recipe. My Mom requests this soup for family dinners. Thank you for sharing it!
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Christy!
I sooooo LOVE hearing that!
Cynthia mertins
This is one of my favorite recipes but I don’t have it very often because of the calories. I am going home tonight to make it. Can’t wait.
Nichole
I can't wait to try this. What do you think of adding cauliflower in replace of the potatoes? Also, is the flour necessary? I was thinking of blending a few cups of the vegetables as a thickener. America's test kitchen does this to thicken the gravy in their pot roast and its delicious.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Nicole, I haven't tried it with cauliflower but think it would work. Like your idea of blending the vegetables as an alternative to thickening with flour. If you try it would love to know how it turns out for you. - Martha
Debby
Oh my goodness Martha! You hit this one out of the park. Excellent soup to enjoy again and again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Annemarie
Hi. I can't find the reduced fat Velveeta. Do you have any alternative suggestions? I would love to try this recipe. Thanks.
Pam Taylor
Excellent soup that makes you feel like you're eating "off the diet". Lol My mom and I sprinkled lettuce and tomato on ours. (And a little hot sauce) I also toasted a sandwich thin spread with 1/2 tsp butter and sprinkled with garlic powder and used as a dipper. We had sugar free orange jello with mandarins oranges as a side dish/dessert. Very filling!
Nancy
Delicious soup! It's always a hit wherever I take it and lots of folks ask for the recipe. This soup won first place in a cookoff at my work. =)
Martha McKinnon
How cool! Thanks for letting me know!! ~Martha