Campfire Cheeseburger Soup
Bacon, ground beef, and cheddar in one pot over the fire. All the cheeseburger flavors without leaving the campsite.
- calories
- 630
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 79
- protein
- 35 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 800 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Bacon | 6 slices | or about 4 oz |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onion | 1 large | diced |
| Ground beef | 0.5 lb | or use ground chicken |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | if needed for cooking |
| Beef broth | 3 cups | from cubes or concentrate |
| Ketchup | 2 tbsp | |
| Yellow mustard | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 0.5 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 0.5 tsp | |
| Cheddar cheese | 2 oz | hard cheddar, shredded or sliced |
| Corn starch | 1.5 tbsp | mixed with 2 tbsp cold water |
| Dill pickle | 2 tbsp | chopped |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Sesame seeds | 1 tbsp | optional garnish |
Method
- Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook it in the bottom of your pot over the fire until crispy at the edges. Remove and set aside.
- Add the diced onion to the bacon fat and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until it softens.
- Add the ground beef in chunks and break it apart as it browns, about 5–7 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, paprika, and the cooked bacon back in.
- Simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors marry. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Mix the corn starch with 2 tbsp of cold water to make a slurry. Stir it into the soup and simmer for 2–3 minutes until thickened.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese until melted. Fold in the pickles.
- Ladle into bowls and top with sesame seeds and extra cheese if you brought it.
This soup is three parts: bacon fat for flavor, ground meat for protein, and cheese plus ketchup for the burger profile. The corn starch thickener gets you from raw to finished in 25 minutes over a fire.
The pickles cut through the richness and remind you this is cheeseburger, not just beef soup. Pack them whole in a jar and stir them in at the end so they stay crisp.
Packing
Bacon can go raw or precooked. Pack the onion whole or diced and wrapped. Ground beef in a separate cooler container. Broth as cubes or concentrate. Spices in a small bag. Cheese wrapped tight in foil. Ketchup and mustard in small containers or packets. Corn starch in a small jar. Pickles in their own jar. Sesame seeds in a snack bag.
Variations
- Use ground chicken instead of beef and swap beef broth for chicken broth.
- Add a handful of diced potatoes if you have them—they add body without much weight.
- Crispy hash browns stirred in at the end make it heartier.
- Skip the corn starch and use instant potato flakes to thicken instead.
https://2nerdsinatruck.com/cheeseburger-soup