Venison and Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Jeremiah Doughty – From Field to Plate

Fall is finally here and the temperatures are dropping fast. College and professional football are in full swing. Most of us are spending our days in tree stands, freezing in duck blinds or spot and stalking. The last thing in your mind is coming home after a long day in the field and creating a delicious dinner, Right? Here is a recipe that takes little to no time to make and best part is its ready when you get home from a long day hunting. (Bonus your house smells killer all day long!)

 Ingredients:

Patties: 

1-2 pounds ground game meat (venison, elk, bison, deer meat)

4-6 cups stock (chicken, beef, homemade wild game)

5-6 medium potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoon cracked pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

8 cloves of garlic minced

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ cup flour

2 cups milk

1 pound of bacon

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened

Directions:

   1   Start out by browning your meat with 1/2 pound of bacon chopped up, ¼ cup of onions, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and ¼ tablespoon of cracked pepper (You do not need to brown your meat beforehand. I choose to because I like building flavor and depth. If you choose not to brown your meat skip this step and move on to step two.) add meat to slow cooker

   2   Take remaining bacon and cook it up. Chop it up into small pieces. Take half and reserve it for later. The other half add to the slow cooker.

   3   In slow cooker add the following ingredients; onions, garlic, pepper, salt, Worcestershire, stock, cream cheese, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and parsley. Mix all ingredients and set your slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours of high for 6-8 hours.

   4   when you’re ready to eat whisk together flour and milk add to slow cooker along with 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.

   5   Now let’s plate this dish. I love to add homemade onion rings, cheese, green onions and bacon to the top of my family’s bowls. My daughters love adding sour cream and avocado. My wife spices hers up with jalapeños. Use your imagination and have fun.

   6   Eat and Enjoy!