Man Pleasin' Stick To Your Bones Soup

I saw a pin on Pinterest that intrigued me. It was called "Cheeseburger Soup." Personally, I think that those 2 words should never go together. It brings up images of soggy buns and lettuce in soup?? I had ground beef that I needed to use so I took a look. After looking at the recipe, I changed so many components of the soup that I decided I could rename it - since after all - it really is a 'new soup' for me.

So, the Man Pleasin' Stick To Your Bones Soup was born.
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion
1 - 2 c carrots, diced (amount = preference)
32 oz Ore Ida diced hash browns
32 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
6 c chicken broth/stock
1/3 c flour
4 T butter

1 1/2 - 2 c half and half (or milk)
Salt & pepper
Tabasco

Brown the beef in a large stock pot. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 T butter, onions and carrots and cook on med - med-high until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. While the meat and veg are cooking, cook the hashbrowns according to package directions in a sautee pan.

Once the veg are sauteed, add the chicken stock, the cooked potatoes and the ground beef. Bring to a boil.

While that comes to a boil - make your roux. I used the same sautee pan that I cooked my potatoes in. Put 4 T butter and let it melt, then whisk in 1/3 c flour until combined. You'll have a thick light brown paste. Add the roux to the boiling soup and continue to boil for about 2 minutes. Then, lower the heat to low. Add cheese and half and half. Stir until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few dashes of tabasco (trust me).

Serve with a dollop of sour cream. Yummmmm