Perfect for a cold day: Cheesy Ground Beef Soup

If you're looking for a quick, hearty dinner that the whole family will love, then you've come to the right place. With this recipe, kick ordinary vegetable soup up a notch with the addition ground beef and cheese. It doesn't get more comforting than this: 

You will need (for 4 portions):

• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 diced onion
• 2/3 cup diced carrots
• 2/3 cup diced celery
• 3 medium diced potatoes
• 2 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3/4 stick butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 and 3/4 cups milk
• 1 lb ground beef 
• salt and pepper
• 2 and 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• chopped parsley

Here's how:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and allow the onions to cook briefly. Then add the carrot, celery, potatoes, and vegetable stock. Cover the pot and let the ingredients simmer for 15 minutes 
2. Meanwhile, add the butter to a hot pan and once melted, stir in the flour. Stirring constantly, add the milk and let sit for about 2 minutes over the heat. Once thick, transfer the mixture to the vegetable soup. 
3. Add the cooked brown beef to the pot and season with salt and pepper. 
4. Finally, stir in the grated cheese and once melted, remove the soup from heat. 

Sprinkle each bowl of cheesy beef soup with parsley and dinner is ready to serve! Homemade croutons are also a wonderful addition: simply cut bread into cubes, drizzle with butter or olive oil, season as desired and bake until crunchy. Enjoy!