Creamy Queso Soup with Ground Beef and Green Chiles

This creamy queso soup takes the flavors of a Tex-Mex cheese dip and turns them into a bowl you eat with a spoon. Ground beef and onion are browned with chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika, a little flour goes in for body, and green chiles and chicken broth make the base. Cream cheese, half-and-half and freshly shredded sharp cheddar melt in over low heat, and diced tomato and green onions go on top.

It is made in one Dutch oven and serves 6. Plan on about 55 minutes from the first chop to the table.

Jump to Recipe

How Long It Really Takes

Many versions list 30 minutes of cooking. With the dairy added carefully, a more realistic number is about 40:

• Browning the beef and onion: 8 to 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
• Spices and flour: about 2 minutes.
• Bringing the broth and chiles to a simmer: about 4 minutes, then 8 to 10 minutes of simmering.
• Cream cheese, half-and-half and cheddar: 8 to 10 minutes over low heat. Adding the cheese in handfuls takes patience, and rushing it is how the soup turns grainy.

Prep takes about 15 minutes: dicing the onion and tomato, mincing the garlic, cubing the cream cheese, shredding the cheddar and slicing the green onions. That makes 15 minutes of prep, 40 minutes of cooking and 55 minutes total.

Ingredient Notes

Ground beef: One pound of 80/20 or 85/15 beef. Drain it after browning but leave about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot to cook the flour.

Flour: Two tablespoons stirred into the beef and fat give the soup body and help keep the dairy from separating. Cook it for about a minute so it loses its raw taste.

Green chiles: Two 4-ounce cans of diced green chiles, with their liquid. They bring a mild, slightly tangy heat and flavor. Mild chiles add flavor without much heat; hot ones make the soup spicier.

Low-sodium chicken broth: Two cups, plus up to 1/2 cup extra to thin the finished soup. Cheddar, cream cheese and canned chiles all carry salt, so low-sodium broth leaves room to season at the end.

Cream cheese: An 8-ounce block, cubed. Cubes melt into the hot liquid faster and more smoothly than a whole block.

Half-and-half: One cup. It is lighter than cream, so it needs gentle heat; boiling can make it curdle.

Sharp cheddar: Two cups, shredded from a block, plus more for topping. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch and often melts grainy or stringy in soup.

Tomato and green onions: One large tomato, diced, and 3 green onions, sliced. They go on at the table for freshness and color, not into the pot.

Making the Soup

Brown the beef and onion

Cook the beef and onion in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the beef into small, uneven crumbles, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F. Spoon off the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.

Toast the spices and cook the flour

Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir for about 1 minute, until no dry flour is visible.

Simmer with green chiles and broth

Add the green chiles with their liquid and the chicken broth, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the broth has thickened slightly and the flavors have blended. Do not add the salt yet.

Melt in the cream cheese and cheddar

Turn the heat to low. Add the cream cheese cubes and stir until they have melted into the broth with no white lumps, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half. Add the cheddar one handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding the next. The soup should steam but never bubble from this point on.

Season and serve

Taste the soup and add the salt, starting with 1/2 teaspoon and adding more only if needed. If it is thicker than you like, stir in extra broth, 2 tablespoons at a time. Ladle into bowls and top with diced tomato, green onions and a little extra cheddar.

Texture and Doneness

The finished soup should be thick but fluid: it coats a spoon and still moves in the bowl, with visible beef crumbles and green chile pieces. It should not be as smooth or thick as queso dip. It tightens as it stands, so thin it with a splash of broth before serving if it sits.

Salt and Seasoning

Cheddar, cream cheese, canned chiles and broth all add salt, so the recipe holds the salt until the soup is finished. Many pots need only 1/2 teaspoon. If the soup tastes flat rather than salty, a squeeze of lime or a pinch more cumin often helps more than extra salt.

Troubleshooting

• Grainy or stringy soup: The heat was too high, or the cheese was pre-shredded. Keep the soup below a simmer and add freshly shredded cheddar a handful at a time.
• Lumps of cream cheese: It was too cold or the cubes were large. Keep stirring over low heat, or whisk gently until smooth.
• Floury taste: The flour was not cooked long enough. Next time cook it a full minute before adding liquid.
• Greasy surface: Too much beef fat stayed in the pot. Blot the top with a folded paper towel.
• Too thick: Stir in broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, over low heat.
• Too thin: Let it stand off the heat for 5 minutes, or melt in another 1/4 cup of cheddar.

Substitutions and Variations

• Ground turkey: Use the same weight and add a tablespoon of oil to brown it.
• Cheese: Monterey Jack or pepper jack can replace some of the cheddar. Shred it from a block.
• Heat: Use hot green chiles, or add a pinch of cayenne.
• Richer: Replace the half-and-half with heavy cream, still over low heat.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate: Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 to 4 days. Keep the tomato and green onions separate.
• Reheat: Warm over low heat, stirring often and adding a splash of broth, until steaming hot. Do not let it boil. In the microwave, heat in 1-minute bursts and stir between them.
• Freezing: Not recommended. Cream cheese and cheddar tend to turn grainy after thawing.

More Cheesy Soups and Queso Recipes

For a creamy Tex-Mex soup with chicken, try our cheesy Rotel chicken soup. If you prefer a broth with vegetables and beef, make the old-fashioned vegetable beef soup. For the dip version of these flavors, see our homemade creamy queso dip. You can also browse all of our soup recipes.

Creamy Queso Soup Questions

Is it a soup or a dip? It is a soup. It is thinner than a dip, and the beef and broth make it a meal in a bowl.

Can I make it without the flour? The soup will be thinner and slightly more likely to separate. If you leave it out, keep the heat very low and use a bit less broth.

Why add the cheddar a little at a time? Adding it all at once cools the soup and clumps the cheese. Small handfuls melt evenly.

What should I serve with it? Warm tortillas or crusty bread for dipping, and a simple salad.

Recipe Card