Cheese and Leek Soup with Ground Meat

Ingredients

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• 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef and pork
• 2 stalk leeks about 500 g (1.1 lb)
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 800 ml (3 1/2 cup) beef or vegetable broth
• 200 g (7.1 oz) processed cream cheese spread plain or with herbs
• 200 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream
• salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste

Method

1. Halve the leeks lengthwise, wash them thoroughly and slice them into rings. Finely dice the onion.
2. Heat the oil in a pot and brown the ground meat for 8 minutes until crumbly, then add the onion and cook together for 2 minutes.
3. Add half of the leeks and cook for 3 minutes. Deglaze with the broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the remaining leeks and simmer for another 5 minutes, so that some of the leek stays tender-crisp.
5. Stir in the processed cheese and the cream and let it melt over low heat, stirring; do not let it boil again. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Tip: If the soup gets too thick, thin it with broth. If the cheese boils too hard, it easily separates into flakes.

Tip: The soup goes well with baguette or garlic bread. For a vegetarian version, replace the ground meat with diced mushrooms.

Food safety: Always cook ground meat all the way through: the core temperature at the coldest point must reach at least 158 °F (70 °C) and be held there for at least 2 minutes; use a kitchen thermometer. Do not taste raw ground meat.