Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup – Easy One-Pot Comfort Food

Okay so everyone keeps asking me for this Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup recipe, and honestly? I keep putting it off because I was convinced it was too basic to share. But after my teenage son asked for this three nights in a row last week (which never happens unless it involves pizza), I figured maybe it’s worth writing down properly.

Look, I’m gonna be honest—my first attempt at Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup was back in January, and it was basically watery beef broth with some sad potato chunks floating around. Disaster. Complete disaster. I followed this overly complicated recipe that had me making a roux in a separate pan like I was running some kind of fancy restaurant kitchen.

This version happened when I got fed up and just started throwing stuff in one pot. Turns out, the secret is browning your ground beef really well to get all those caramelized bits, then building everything else on top of that flavor foundation. Magic, honestly.

Why This Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup Recipe Actually Works :

Here’s the thing about most beef and potato soup recipes—they either take forever or taste like nothing. This Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup hits that perfect comfort food sweet spot where it’s hearty, cheesy, and actually tastes like something your grandma would make if she wasn’t obsessed with diet food.

The key is using the right potatoes and not being stingy with the cheese. I learned this after making bland soup twice with the wrong potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes are your friend here—they hold their shape but still get creamy, plus they actually taste like potatoes instead of starchy water.

My picky 11-year-old, who basically lives on chicken nuggets and complaints, cleaned his bowl and asked for seconds. That literally never happens. Even my mother-in-law, who has opinions about everything I cook, admitted it was “surprisingly good for something so simple,” which from her is basically a James Beard Award.

What I love most is that this truly is a one-pot meal. You brown the beef, sauté the veggies in the same pot, add everything else, and boom—dinner’s done. No separate pasta to boil, no complicated timing, no multiple dishes to wash later.

Shopping for Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup Ingredients :

Ingredient shopping for this is refreshingly straightforward, but there are definitely some things I learned the hard way:

The Beef Base:

• 1 lb ground beef (I use 85/15 because it has enough fat for flavor but won’t make your soup greasy)
• Don’t use the super lean stuff—it’ll taste like cardboard

The Potato Situation:

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1-inch pieces)
• Seriously, don’t use russets for this—they fall apart and get mushy

The Aromatics:

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced (I use way more because I’m obsessed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

The Liquid Magic:

• 4 cups beef broth (low-sodium so you can control the salt)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (don’t skimp on this—it’s what makes it creamy)

The Thickening Trick:

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter

The Cheesy Glory:

• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (please don’t use pre-shredded)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• Extra cheese for topping because why not

Seasonings:

• Salt and pepper (you’ll need more salt than you think)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for a tiny kick

Speaking of shopping, good luck finding decent ground beef that doesn’t cost a fortune. I’ve started buying it in bulk when it goes on sale and freezing it in 1-pound portions. Game changer. Also, please grate your own cheese for this—the pre-shredded stuff has weird coatings that make it not melt properly. Been there, learned that lesson.

How to Make Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup :

Step 1: Brown the Beef Like You Mean It
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Don’t stir it constantly—let it actually brown and develop those caramelized bits. Takes about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while it’s cooking. Remove the beef and set aside, but keep about 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot.

Step 2: Build the Flavor Base
Add the diced onion to the same pot (don’t clean it—those brown bits are flavor gold) and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Don’t burn the garlic—I did this once while helping with homework and the whole soup tasted bitter.

Step 3: Make a Quick Roux
Add the butter to the pot and let it melt, then sprinkle in the flour. Cook this mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, to get rid of that raw flour taste. It’ll look like paste, but that’s totally normal. This is what’s going to thicken your soup later.

Step 4: Add Liquids Slowly
Here’s where most people mess up (including past me). Gradually whisk in the beef broth, about a cup at a time, making sure each addition is smooth before adding more. Then add the milk and heavy cream. The key is going slow so you don’t get lumps. Bring everything to a simmer.

Step 5: The Potato Addition
Add your cubed potatoes and the browned beef back to the pot. Season with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart.

Step 6: The Cheese Situation
Turn the heat to low (this is important) and gradually stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, about a handful at a time, until each addition is melted before adding more. Then stir in the softened cream cheese until it’s completely smooth. If you add the cheese on high heat, it’ll get grainy and weird.

Step 7: Final Touches
Taste and adjust seasoning—it probably needs more salt than you think. Let everything simmer together for another 5 minutes to thicken up and meld all the flavors. The soup should coat the back of a spoon.

My Hard-Won Tips for Perfect Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup :

After making this probably thirty times (my family’s completely addicted), here’s what I wish someone had told me:

About the Beef: Don’t use super lean ground beef. You need some fat for flavor, but 85/15 is the sweet spot. Also, really brown it—like actually brown, not just gray. Those caramelized bits are where all the flavor lives.

Potato Wisdom: Yukon Gold potatoes are absolutely crucial. I tried making this with russets once because they were on sale, and they turned into mush. Yukons hold their shape but still get creamy. Also, don’t cut them too small or they’ll disintegrate.

The Cheese Melting Trick: Add cheese off the heat or on very low heat. High heat makes cheese seize up and get grainy. If this happens anyway, whisk in a splash of warm broth and it usually smooths out.

Thickness Control: If your soup gets too thick (which it will as it sits), just thin it out with a splash of broth or milk when reheating. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes.

Storage Stuff: This soup is incredible fresh but gets really thick in the fridge. Just add liquid when reheating and stir well. Freezes okay for about 2 months, though the texture changes slightly—the potatoes can get a bit grainy.

What Makes This the Ultimate One-Pot Comfort Food :

This isn’t just soup—it’s like a warm hug in a bowl that happens to have beef and potatoes in it. The combination of savory ground beef, creamy potatoes, and melty cheese is basically everything good about comfort food but in a form you can eat with a spoon.

My kids fight over who gets to add the toppings to their bowls. Extra cheese, obviously, but sometimes they’ll add some chopped green onions if I’m lucky. It’s become this whole production, but honestly, that’s half the fun.

I usually serve this with some crusty bread for dunking because obviously you need something to soak up every last drop. Sometimes I’ll make cornbread if I’m feeling ambitious, but most of the time it’s just whatever bread I have lying around. Works perfectly.

The Real Talk About This Easy Recipe :

Look, I make this Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup at least twice a month now, especially when the weather gets cold. It’s become my go-to when I want something that feels indulgent but doesn’t require me to be in the kitchen for three hours or use every pot I own.

The best part is how impressed people get when they find out it’s homemade. My sister-in-law, who usually orders everything from DoorDash, asked me to teach her how to make it after I brought some over when she was sick. That’s when you know you’ve got a winner recipe.

Is it healthy? Absolutely not. Is it delicious and satisfying and exactly what you want on a cold Wednesday night when everything feels hard? One hundred percent yes. Sometimes you need food that just makes you happy, and this soup delivers every single time.

My husband, who’s usually pretty diplomatic about my cooking experiments, told me this was better than the loaded potato soup at our favorite restaurant. Higher praise than any food blog review, honestly.

Variations I’ve Actually Tried :

Sometimes I throw in some corn kernels during the last few minutes of cooking. Adds sweetness and color, plus my kids think it’s fancy. I’ve also added diced carrots with the onions when I’m feeling like we need more vegetables in our lives.

Once I made this with leftover rotisserie chicken instead of ground beef when I forgot to defrost meat. Just shredded some chicken and added it at the end. Different but still really good.

I’ve experimented with different cheeses too—sharp cheddar is my favorite, but I’ve done it with a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack, and even threw in some pepper jack once when I was feeling adventurous. The kids were not fans of the spicy version, but my husband loved it.

Make-Ahead and Serving Tips :

This Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup is perfect for meal prep, though it does get thick when refrigerated. I usually make a double batch on Sunday and portion it out for the week. Just add a splash of broth or milk when reheating and it’s good as new.

For parties or potlucks, I set up a little topping bar with extra cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream, and even some bacon bits. People love building their own loaded bowls, and it makes a simple soup feel like something special.

So there you have it—my not-so-secret Cheesy Beef & Potato Soup recipe that’s basically saved my cold-weather dinner routine and made me the neighborhood soup lady. Try it on a night when you want maximum comfort with minimum effort.

Fair warning: once your family tries this, they’ll probably request it weekly. Mine does. At least it’s easy to make and uses one pot, right?

Happy cooking! (And may your cheese always melt smoothly and your potatoes never turn to mush!)