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This lightened-up Turkey Cheeseburger Soup is quick and easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop.
I know, shocker — another soup recipe for you today! ♡
This one actually comes from my friend, Gina’s, hot-off-the-press new cookbook — Skinnytaste One and Done: 140 No-Fuss Dinners for Your Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer, Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven and More(affiliate link). If you’re familiar with Gina’s blog and first two cookbooks, it should come as no surprise that she hit it out of the park again with this third cookbook. It’s absolutely beautiful, full of fantastic tips and techniques for one-pot (or one-pan!) meals, and the recipes are just as do-able, lightened-up and delicious as always.
I’ve already dog-eared dozens of recipes in my copy that I look forward to trying. But today, I thought I’d share a quick and easy new favorite with you — Gina’s Turkey Cheeseburger Soup. It’s total comfort food, yet lightened up with a few simple tweaks (including a surprise vegetable snuck in there to make it extra thick and creamy!). And it is downright delicious.
This recipe comes from the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) section of the cookbook, but I’ve included instructions below for how to also make it in the Crock-Pot (slow cooker) or on the stovetop, if you prefer. I think you’re going to love it.
Turkey Cheeseburger Soup Ingredients:
Alright, shopping cart time! To make this turkey cheeseburger soup recipe, you’ll need:
Ground turkey: To lighten this soup up, Gina opts for 93% lean ground turkey. (Although you’re welcome to sub in ground chicken or beef if you’d like.)
Butter, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, salt and pepper: Our base ingredients to season the soup
Flour: To thicken (feel free to use all-purpose, wheat or gluten-free flour)
Chicken broth: Or veggie broth, whichever you happen to have on hand.
Cauliflower: Spoiler alert — this is the secret healthy ingredient to help make the soup extra thick and creamy. (See above!)
Cheddar cheese: Preferably sharp and part-skim.
Green onions: For garnish, if you’d like.
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup Instructions:
To make this cheeseburger soup in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker), simply:
Brown the turkey. Using the “Sauté” button on your electric pressure cooker, brown and crumble the ground turkey. Then drain and transfer to a separate plate, and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. Also, using the “Sauté” feature on the pressure cooker, sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Then add the flour, salt, and pepper sauté a minute longer, to cook the flour.
Add turkey, broth, potatoes and cauliflower. And stir to combine.
Pressure cook. Seal and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Quick release.
Purée the cauliflower. Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the broth to a blender or food processor and (carefully!) blend until smooth. Pour the puree back into the soup and stir to combine.
Add the cheddar. And stir to combine.
Serve warm. Then dish it up, garnished with scallions, extra cheddar, and/or any of your other favorite toppings!
Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup Instructions:
To make this cheeseburger soup in the Crock-Pot (slow cooker), simply:
Brown the turkey. For best results, we’ll need to add in a quick step on the stovetop before moving onto the slow cooker. In a medium skillet, brown and crumble the ground turkey. Then drain and transfer to a separate plate, and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. Then sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Add the flour, salt, and pepper sauté a minute longer, to cook the flour. Then transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
Add turkey, broth, potatoes and cauliflower. And stir to combine.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours, until the potatoes are soft.
Purée the cauliflower. Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the broth to a blender or food processor and (carefully!) blend until smooth. Pour the puree back into the soup and stir to combine.
Add the cheddar. And stir to combine.
Serve warm. Then dish it up, garnished with scallions, extra cheddar, and/or any of your other favorite toppings!
(*If you want to save a step, you’re welcome to just add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the slow cooker and skip sautéing them on the stovetop, and skip the flour. I just prefer the flavor of veggies sautéed vs. slow cooked.)
Stovetop Cheeseburger Soup Instructions:
To make this cheeseburger soup on the stovetop, simply:
Brown the turkey. In a large stockpot, brown and crumble the ground turkey. Then drain and transfer to a separate plate, and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. Sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Then add the flour, salt, and pepper sauté a minute longer, to cook the flour.
Add turkey, broth, potatoes and cauliflower. And stir to combine.
Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Purée the cauliflower. Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the broth to a blender or food processor and (carefully!) blend until smooth. Pour the puree back into the soup and stir to combine.
Add the cheddar. And stir to combine.
Serve warm. Then dish it up, garnished with scallions, extra cheddar, and/or any of your other favorite toppings!
Possible Variations:
Want to customize your soup? Feel free to:
Make it gluten-free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour to thicken the soup. And as always, be sure to double-check all of your other ingredient labels to be sure that they are certified gluten-free.
Make it vegetarian: You could either just nix the turkey altogether. Or if you would like, add in some crispy tofu or mushrooms or extra cauliflower in its place.
Make it spicy: I added a generous sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to this soup when I heated it up for leftovers, and the extra kick was delicious!
Add in different cheeses: To change up the flavor of this soup, feel free to use a different kind of cheese. (I’m especially thinking that smoked gouda would be delicious!)
Side Dish Ideas:
Looking for ideas for what to serve with this turkey cheeseburger soup recipe? I’d recommend:
Press the “Sauté” button on an electric pressure cooker. Add the turkey and brown the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the meat and transfer it to a small bowl.
In the pressure cooker (still on “Sauté”), melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to cook the flour. Return the turkey to the pressure cooker and add the chicken broth, potatoes, and cauliflower and stir.
Seal and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Quick release, then open when the pressure subsides.
Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the liquid to a blender and blend* until smooth. Pour the puree into the soup and stir well. Add the cheddar and stir until melted. Serve topped with the scallions and extra cheddar cheese, if desired.
Crock-Pot (Slow Cooker) Method:
Brown the turkey in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the meat and transfer it to a small bowl.
Add the butter to the sauté pan and cook until melted. Then add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to cook the flour. (Or you can skip this step and just add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, flour, salt and pepper to the bowl of your slow cooker.)
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a slow cooker. Then add in the chicken broth, potatoes, cauliflower, ground turkey, and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the liquid to a blender and blend* until smooth. Pour the puree back into the soup and stir until combined. Add the cheddar and stir until melted.
Serve warm, topped with the scallions and extra cheddar cheese, if desired
Stovetop Method:
Brown the turkey in a large stockpot over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the meat and transfer it to a small bowl.
Add the butter to the stockpot and cook until melted. Then add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to cook the flour. Add in the chicken broth, potatoes, cauliflower, ground turkey, and stir to combine.
Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the liquid to a blender and blend* until smooth. Pour the puree back into the soup and stir until combined. Add the cheddar and stir until melted.
Serve warm, topped with the scallions and extra cheddar cheese, if desired.
Notes
*If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to check the labels and use certified GF ingredients.
*As always, be extra-careful when blending hot liquids, as they expand when heated. I typically crack open the small vent in the blender lid slightly when blending hot liquids, just to let any excess steam escape.
So yummy delicious. Just made this & husband & I love it. Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been a fan since you posted your 5-ingredient chili but was too lazy to check out other recipes. ??
I made this today and it is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for another great instant pot recipe! Your blog is simply the best! The recipes are always so perfect. It is my go-to for inspiration when I cook almost every day.
I just made this and it is delicious! I used a 12 ounce bag of frozen cauliflower to save a little work, it worked perfectly. I also used more chicken broth than what was called for. Thank you for sharing!
Loved this recipe! Used the slow cooker version. I added a whole pound of ground chicken- that is what I had. I used seasoned salt, And instead of grated cheese I added a can of cream of cheddar cheese soup (which I had in pantry and wanted to use up) and 1/3 can of water. Otherwise I followed the recipe. Was terrrific! I don’t normally comment! This is going to be added to my recipe file! Thank you!
Ali, you have been my go-to for soups for years. Everything I’ve made has been amazing, and this was no exception! Absolutely delicious, and the cauliflower purée is genius! I want to add it to every soup now. Bravo!!
Wow, this was good. Not often that I give 5 stars or don’t have to tweak a recipe but this one was fantastic. Everyone gobbled it up. I made it two nights in a row. I imagine this is great with ground beef too.
Hey, I’m Ali!
My favorite thing in life is time spent around the table. And all the better with some seriously tasty food to bring us all together. more about me »
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it! Gina’s cookbook is on my Amazon Wishlist!
My family loved this soup. It was delicious. The third time I have used your recipes and they are such a treat.
So yummy delicious. Just made this & husband & I love it. Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been a fan since you posted your 5-ingredient chili but was too lazy to check out other recipes. ??
I’m all about the “healthier” comfort food these days. Can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing :).
This was delish! I garnished with diced tomato and sesame seed bun croutons. Love this recipe!
I made this today and it is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for another great instant pot recipe! Your blog is simply the best! The recipes are always so perfect. It is my go-to for inspiration when I cook almost every day.
Amazing!! Thank you ali! We ended up halving the broth, used zuccini, carrots, broccoli and tofu. It was delish!!!
I just made this and it is delicious! I used a 12 ounce bag of frozen cauliflower to save a little work, it worked perfectly. I also used more chicken broth than what was called for. Thank you for sharing!
Made this for dinner last night and LOVED it! Can’t wait for the leftovers for lunch today!
Love this recipe! What are your thoughts, would this soup freeze well?
Loved this soup. I made it in my crockpot and the only change I did was I used radishes instead of the potatoes. Hubby liked it so it’s a Win!
Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe exactly except added a little more salt and pepper and teaspoon of seasoned salt.
This was so delicious! I made it on the stovetop, and it was super easy. Thank you for another great recipe!
Loved this recipe! Used the slow cooker version. I added a whole pound of ground chicken- that is what I had. I used seasoned salt, And instead of grated cheese I added a can of cream of cheddar cheese soup (which I had in pantry and wanted to use up) and 1/3 can of water. Otherwise I followed the recipe. Was terrrific! I don’t normally comment! This is going to be added to my recipe file! Thank you!
Delicious !! Hopefully this freezes well. Could you substitute sweet potato ?
Ali, you have been my go-to for soups for years. Everything I’ve made has been amazing, and this was no exception! Absolutely delicious, and the cauliflower purée is genius! I want to add it to every soup now. Bravo!!
Wow, this was good. Not often that I give 5 stars or don’t have to tweak a recipe but this one was fantastic. Everyone gobbled it up. I made it two nights in a row. I imagine this is great with ground beef too.