Green Chile Cheeseburger Soup

This recipe extends the wonderful hamburger† and cheese†† based soups given elsewhere to new heights of enjoyment by the incorporation the New Mexico style, as inspired by the critically acclaimed world’s best green chile cheeseburger, served at the world-renowned Owl Bar and Café in San Antonio, NM, mentioned elsewhere among these pages.†

  • 1 oz olive oil
  • 1 lb lean ground lean beef
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 stalk celery, diced fine
  • 1 (10-oz) can RO*TEL® tomatoes and green chile
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 cup whole kernel corn, frozen
  • 1 (10½-oz) can condensed beef or 10½ oz homemade† consommé
  • 1 bottle of lite beer
  • 1 lb Velveeta® Mexican Cheese Product, cubed
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • gravy flour, for thickening
  • ½ cup green onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño chile, seeds and placenta removed, diced

Sauté the ground beef, chopped onion, carrots, and celery in the oil in a 3 quart pan over a medium heat. Stir and separate the beef particles with a steel spatula to prevent them from sticking to the pan and to make the soup less lumpy. Cook this mixture until it is browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside, as we will use the same pan again.

Add the tomatoes and green chile to the pan, along with the mustard, corn, consommé, beer, and cheeses. Bring up the heat, stirring continually, until the cheese has just melted. Add the beef mixture and mix all together, bring back almost to simmer.

If the soup seems thin, add gravy flour to a little water, add, and stir until thickened. Conversely, if the soup seems too thick, add a little water until correct.

Ladle the soup into individual colorful bowls and top with green onions and jalapeño garnish. Serve with corn or tortilla chips (scoop style preferred).

Makes about 12 cups.