Bacon cheeseburger flavor works well in a soup pot: browned beef and tender vegetables simmer in chicken meat stock, then bacon, cheddar, and avocado go on top. Keeping the toppings out of the pot gives you crisp bacon, softening cheese, and fresh avocado in each bowl. This makes six servings and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes with the onions cooked in the same pot.
I homeschool before I leave for second-shift work, so I notice when a dinner has a clear stopping point. Here, the soup base can be ready ahead, and the toppings can stay covered on a plate until everyone is ready to eat. You can serve the same pot in different ways without cooking a second meal.
Why the Toppings Stay Separate
Bacon loses its crisp edges when it simmers in liquid, and shredded cheddar can turn grainy if it boils. The beef and vegetables make the soup base. The bacon, cheddar, and avocado finish each bowl at the table. That is the small detail that keeps the “cheeseburger” part of this soup from becoming a pot of soft toppings.
The source mentions an optional ranch drizzle, but it does not measure ranch into the soup formula. I keep it as an optional, separate topping. For a dairy-free bowl, leave off the cheddar and use the published Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing if you want a creamy finish.
Full GAPS Ingredient Notes
This is a Full GAPS recipe, not an Introduction Diet soup. It combines ground beef, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tomato paste, and an optional cheese topping. The stock is homemade chicken meat stock made from raw meaty chicken parts. It is not long-simmered bone broth. Follow the separate chicken meat stock recipe if you need a pot for this soup.
Chicken meat stock is the source-matched base and keeps the broth mild. If you prefer a fuller beef flavor, replace the same three cups with homemade beef meat stock. Keep the quantity the same.
Use homemade salt-only bacon. Four slices are cooked first, then kept out of the broth so they can be crumbled over the finished bowls. The separate Home-Cured Bacon recipe gives the salt-only preparation.
For the measured tomato-paste branch, choose pure tomato paste whose ingredient list contains tomatoes, with salt as the only possible addition. This keeps the soup’s tomato flavor concentrated and the ingredient list simple.
Use raw or properly cultured cheddar for the cheese topping. If you are keeping your meal dairy-free, leave the cheddar off. The soup itself remains the same, and the separate dairy-free ranch above is an optional drizzle, not an ingredient in the card.
How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Avocado Soup
Set out a wide, heavy pot, a plate for the cooked bacon, a cutting board and knife, a grater, and a ladle. Give the beef room to brown in the pot. If it is crowded, work in two batches rather than steaming the crumbles.
- Cook the bacon. Lay four slices of home-cured bacon in the pot over medium heat. Turn them as they brown. Cook through until the meat is browned and the fat has rendered, while leaving the slices flexible rather than brittle. Transfer the bacon to a plate and leave the rendered fat in the pot. Once cool enough to handle, crumble the slices for the topping.
- Caramelize and reserve the onions. Add two onions cut into rings and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir every few minutes for about 20 minutes. At first the onions look glossy and release moisture. They are ready when soft, translucent, and golden around the edges, with a sweet onion smell. If an edge darkens too quickly, lower the heat. Transfer the onions to a plate; leave the bacon fat in the pot.
- Brown the beef and soften the vegetables. Add one pound ground beef. Break it into small crumbles and let it brown before stirring in two shredded carrots, two thinly sliced celery ribs, two minced garlic cloves, one teaspoon dried basil, and one teaspoon dried parsley. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the beef is browned and the vegetables have started to soften. Ground beef should reach 160°F, measured with a food thermometer. See the USDA ground beef guidance.
- Add the stock and tomato paste. Pour in three cups homemade chicken meat stock, or the same amount of homemade beef meat stock for a deeper flavor. Add five ounces pure tomato paste and one teaspoon mineral salt. Stir and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, cover it, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. The surface should show small, steady bubbles rather than a hard rolling boil.
- Season and check the vegetables. Uncover the pot and stir. The broth should be evenly tomato-red, without streaks of paste. Pierce a carrot piece with a fork. It should yield easily, while the celery still holds its shape. Add one-half teaspoon black pepper and taste a spoonful. Add salt only if your stock and bacon leave the soup under-seasoned.
- Build each bowl. Ladle the soup into six bowls. Top with the reserved caramelized onions, one cup shredded cheddar divided among the servings, crumbled bacon, and one thinly sliced avocado. Put the bacon on last so it stays crisp. Serve with pickled cucumbers on the side.
Bacon Cheeseburger Avocado Soup for Full GAPS
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Lay four slices of home-cured bacon in the pot over medium heat. Turn them as they brown. Cook through until the meat is browned and the fat has rendered, while leaving the slices flexible rather than brittle. Transfer the bacon to a plate and leave the rendered fat in the pot. Once cool enough to handle, crumble the slices for the topping.
- Add two onions cut into rings and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir every few minutes for about 20 minutes. At first the onions look glossy and release moisture. They are ready when soft, translucent, and golden around the edges, with a sweet onion smell. If an edge darkens too quickly, lower the heat. Transfer the onions to a plate; leave the ba
- Add one pound ground beef. Break it into small crumbles and let it brown before stirring in two shredded carrots, two thinly sliced celery ribs, two minced garlic cloves, one teaspoon dried basil, and one teaspoon dried parsley. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the beef is browned and the vegetables have started to soften. Ground beef should reach 160°F, measured with a food thermometer.
- Pour in three cups homemade chicken meat stock, or the same amount of homemade beef meat stock for a deeper flavor. Add five ounces pure tomato paste and one teaspoon mineral salt. Stir and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, cover it, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. The surface should show small, steady bubbles rather than a hard rolling boil.
- Uncover the pot and stir. The broth should be evenly tomato-red, without streaks of paste. Pierce a carrot piece with a fork. It should yield easily, while the celery still holds its shape. Add one-half teaspoon black pepper and taste a spoonful. Add salt only if your stock and bacon leave the soup under-seasoned.
- Ladle the soup into six bowls. Top with the reserved caramelized onions, one cup shredded cheddar divided among the servings, crumbled bacon, and one thinly sliced avocado. Put the bacon on last so it stays crisp. Serve with pickled cucumbers on the side.
Notes
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Let us know how it was!What to Expect in the Pot
The first 20 minutes belong to the onions. They soften slowly in the bacon fat and become sweet before the beef and vegetables join them. Keep the heat low enough that the rings turn amber instead of catching dark spots. The smell should be warm and savory, not sharp or scorched.
The beef will release liquid when it first hits the pot. Keep cooking until that moisture cooks off and the crumbles begin to brown. Carrots and celery soften in the rendered fat. When the stock and tomato paste go in, scrape the base of the pot so the browned beef and onion flavor loosens into the broth.
The tomato paste gives the soup a red-brown color and a concentrated tomato smell. If you see streaks of paste after stirring, continue stirring before you cover the pot. After the simmer, the soup should smell like beef, bacon, and tomato together, with the basil and parsley in the background.
Serving and Storage
Serve the soup while it is hot and bring the toppings to the table separately. This lets each person choose cheddar, ranch, avocado, and bacon. If you are making the bowls dairy-free, omit the cheddar and use the separate dairy-free ranch as a drizzle. The ranch stays out of the soup pot and the recipe card.
For leftovers, store the soup base in a covered container and keep the bacon, cheese, avocado, and ranch separate. Refrigerate within two hours and use the soup within 3 to 4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. See the USDA leftover guidance for storage and reheating details.
Freeze the soup base in meal-size containers before adding the toppings. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it thoroughly. Fresh avocado and crisp bacon are best added after the soup is hot.
Equipment
A wide, heavy-bottomed pot gives the beef room to brown and holds the three cups of stock with the vegetables. I use Le Creuset enameled cast iron in Artichaut when the size suits the recipe. The 6.75-quart Le Creuset Oval Dutch Oven in Artichaut is one current Amazon option for browning and simmering this six-serving batch (Le Creuset 6.75-quart Dutch oven).
A thermometer is useful for checking the ground beef. The pot and a basic kitchen knife, cutting board, grater, plate for the bacon, measuring spoons, and ladle are the only other tools this recipe needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Beef Meat Stock Instead?
Yes. The source-matched version uses chicken meat stock, but the same three cups of homemade beef meat stock work in the same soup formula and give it a deeper flavor. Both stock recipes are linked above.
Can I Make a Dairy-Free Bowl?
Yes. Leave the cheddar off and use the separate dairy-free Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing as an optional drizzle. The dressing is not stirred into the soup, and no additional ranch amount is added to the recipe card.
Why Is There No Ranch in the Recipe Card?
The soup formula gives no measured amount of ranch. It is an optional serving idea, so the card contains the soup ingredients and the measured toppings only.
Which Tomato Paste Should I Use?
Choose pure tomato paste with tomatoes, and salt only if salt is included. Avoid pastes with sugar, starch, flavoring, or preservatives.
When Do I Add the Avocado?
Slice it just before serving and place it on top of each bowl. It stays green and buttery instead of breaking down in the hot pot.
Can I Make the Soup Ahead?
Yes. Prepare the soup base and refrigerate it separately from the toppings. Reheat the base, then finish the bowls with bacon, cheddar, avocado, and any optional ranch.
More Full GAPS Recipes to Try
For a baked dinner, try the separate Full GAPS Hamburger Cauliflower Casserole. For a smaller handheld meal, make the distinct Egg-Free Cheeseburger Muffins. These are separate formulas and each has its own recipe card.
Make Soup Night Easier
This soup gives you a make-ahead base and a short topping list to finish at the table. I am building the Weekly Kitchen Rhythm Planner for families who want a practical place to plan soup night, stock prep, and the small jobs that make dinner come together. Find current and upcoming WFLI resources in the WFLI shop.
