Amanda Yoder defines comfort food as what’s on your grandmother’s dining room table during Thanksgiving and Christmas. And while most of Yoder’s menu at Berlin Farmstead Restaurant spans long-standing family favorites, she frequently offers an unusual but very popular soup of the day that is destined to become a comfort food classic in its own right: cheeseburger soup — a creamy creation that can be made at home without much trouble.

Cheeseburger Soup | Makes 2 1/4 quarts 
Recipe courtesy of Berlin Farmstead Restaurant

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
8 ounces Velveeta cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS
Brown beef in a 3-quart saucepan, drain and set aside. In same pan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). Add broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (10–12 minutes). 

While the saucepan mixture is cooking, melt remaining butter in small skillet. Add flour and stir for 3–5 minutes over medium heat until bubbly. Add to saucepan and bring entire mixture to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, and reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper and cook until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Add sour cream into soup and stir until completely mixed in. (Note: Be careful that the soup does not boil during this process or the sour cream will curdle.) Remove from heat.