Bacon Cheeseburger Chowder

Winter is here!  Snow has fallen along with the temperatures!!!  Our New England weather can get very cold and my answer to the cold winter air is a large pot of comforting soup!  I came across this recipe in the Taste of Home Magazine and at first I was a little skeptical as it calls for Velveeta cheese.  To be honest I don’t use Velveeta EVER……..BUT I could not pass by the recipe as the picture looked so good and it was also a field editors’ favorite… and I found out why.  I had several taste testers on this one, including my family and  my parents. I gave the recipe to a good friend, Kathleen, and her family loved it just as much as we did! I would not mind a snow storm as it will give me a great reason to make this soup again!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1 pound potatoes ( 2 medium , peeled and chopped)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon reduced sodium beef bouillon granules
12 ounce Velveeta, cubed
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

DIRECTIONS
In a 6 qt. stockpot cook the beef, onion and pepper over medium heat. 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking the beef up as it cooks. Drain the fat from the pot and return to heat, adding the garlic cooking for one more minute. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in milk, add the potatoes, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer covered 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Just before serving sprinkle with bacon.

Enjoy,