Bacon Cheeseburger Potato Soup

So an "Arctic Airmass" moved into Oklahoma today.  I didn't see it, but boy can you feel it.  One of the local weathermen shared a crazy picture of the grey, freezing doom coming in.  Of course it's the perfect day to stay on the couch with the dog and make a hearty soup for dinner!  A while back I participated in our quarterly Freaky Friday Recipe Swap.  I made Reese's Pretzel Basketball Cookies, copied from the Take Two Tapas blog.  Well my friend Brandi over at Aunt Bee's Recipes was tasked with choosing a recipe from Bowl Me Over.  She chose to make this Bacon Cheeseburger Potato Soup and WOW is it good.  I was a little skeptical when I looked at the recipe.  I'm not a huge fan of ground beef in soups.  And then the toppings?  Chopped pickles IN A SOUP?  Are you kidding me?  As I told Brandi, "Never in ten thousand years would I think about putting a pickle in a bowl of soup and liking it."  But I'm serious.  It's just like a cheeseburger in a bowl.  You may be skeptical like I was, but trust me.  It's amazing.  And don't skip the toppings.  The chopped tomato, chopped onion, bacon, cheese, and chopped pickle really do make the dish.  One of the purposes of the Freaky Friday Blog Swaps is to meet new bloggers and try new recipes.  I'm so glad that Brandi from Aunt Bee's Recipes and Debra from Bowl Me Over decided to participate in this round.  Otherwise I might never have known that such a thing as a bacon cheeseburger in a bowl existed! 

Perfect on a freezing cold day!

It's just like a cheeseburger in a bowl!

Don't skip the toppings, you need all of the
usual cheeseburger ingredients!

Pickles in soup?  Don't knock it til you try it.
Seriously.

Look at this weather craziness! 
They should just call it a soup front so everyone
knows what to make for dinner.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

From: Aunt Bee's Recipes and Bowl Me Over

8 slices uncooked bacon, diced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound sliced white mushrooms
1/2 chopped onion
4 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning (I didn't have Montreal Seasoning so I used "Panhandle Chicken Fried Steak Seasoning" because you know: OKLAHOMA)
1 quart beef broth
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings:
chopped tomatoes
diced onion
chopped pickles
additional shredded cheese

Sauté chopped bacon in a large stock pot until crispy. Remove the bacon from pan & drain on a paper towel, leaving drippings in the pot.  Increase the heat to medium add the ground beef, sliced mushrooms and chopped onions. Brown and then remove most of the leftover fat.  Add the minced garlic & sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn the heat to high and add the potatoes, beef broth, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and steak seasoning. Boil for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Reduce the heat to low & add the shredded cheese and stir until the cheese is completely melted.

Garnish with chopped tomatoes, diced onion, chopped pickles and additional shredded cheese

Prep Time:  Approximately 20 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 25 minutes