Name: Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 5 Slices bacon; 3-4 Leftover Cheeseburgers ((or 1 lb Ground Beef)); 2 tbsp Butter; 1/4 cup Marinara Sauce; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 3 cups Bone Beef Broth ((or regular beef broth)); 2 tsp Mustard ((yellow, spicy or dijon)); 1/2 tsp Black Pepper; 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes; 1 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Chili Powder; 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese; 3 oz Cream cheese; 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

5 THM Leftover Chicken Lunch Ideas

The hardest part of Trim Healthy Mama for me is coming up with interesting but easy meals. With little ones under foot, I need quick and simple meals a lot of the time. These 5 THM leftover chicken lunch ideas not only meet that criteria but they are also budget friendly! If you need more lunch ideas check out my 6 THM Work Lunch Ideas and a Protein Packed THM S Salad.

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How Do the Leftover Lunches Help My Budget?

Eating at home (or lunch brought from home) saves money. Now that is not some new phenomenon but it is so true. Since I spend a little more on certain personal choice items when following THM – hello Halo Top! – I like to save in other areas where I can.

I can buy a large package of chicken at Walmart for under $10. The breasts are so thick, I slice them lengthwise and make 2 servings from each. Then I have my husband grill it up with a simple marinade.

We usually eat a portion for dinner that night with veggies and maybe a sweet potato if we want an “E” meal. Then I package the rest up to eat through the week. Having a nice cooked protein ready to go usually solves 90% of my “what am I going to eat” dilemma. It also helps to prevent eating out or worse, falling off plan if I have something ready to use.

5 THM Leftover Chicken Lunch Ideas

My husband was out of town a good bit of this week, so I didn’t cook much. It was a really nice break to have this chicken in the fridge for simple lunches and light, summer dinner meals. Here is what I ate!

Simple Cobb Salad – THM S

I love Cobb salad because you can kind of throw anything on it and call it a Cobb salad. Right? Well I think you can anyway.

Top a bed of baby spinach with your diced leftover chicken, boiled egg, some diced veggies (I used orange bell pepper), a few grape tomatoes and cheese.

Chicken Avocado Mozzarella Bowl – THM S

I actually ate this for a light dinner but it would be great for lunch. The creamy avocado goes great with the chewy mozzarella.

Reheat and cut your chicken. Cut up the avocado and tomato. Place all items in the bowl and add the fresh mozzarella balls. I drizzled the mozzarella with a little olive oil and balsamic and sprinkled it with pepper.

Chicken Alfredo Pita Pizza – THM S

I used to make these before THM so this is a modified version that still tastes yummy and not like diet food!

I place a Joseph’s pita directly on the rack of a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes to crisp it up a little. Then spread a thin layer of an Alfredo sauce. You can make your own but I am not a purist and I am a mom to young kids so I need fast. I use Newman’s Own Alfredo and I’m happy with it (read the label and choose for yourself).

Next, spread on a layer of shredded cheese. Then top it with your chopped, leftover chicken. I added sliced onion and fresh mozzarella and fresh basil too! Heat in the oven for about 5-7 more minutes until everything gets all melty and delicious.

Chicken Fajita Quesadilla -THM S

If I was eating at a Mexican restaurant prior to THM, this is probably what you would have caught me eating. I love the taste of a fajita but the slightly crunchy shell of a quesadilla. It melts two of my favorite Mexican things together into one yummy dish.

Here I made my THM version by simply subbing in a Mission low carb tortilla (personal choice item). Inside is just the leftover chicken, cheese and sautéed onions and peppers. I cook that up in my quesadilla maker and have lunch in just a few minutes. Top with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Greek Chicken Mediterranean Bowl – THM E

You don’t eat no meat?! Y’all don’t you just love “My Big Fat Greek Wedding?” I know it is an older movie but it still makes me LOL every time.For this lunch, I just made an all things Greek bowl using leftovers. Take some leftover brown rice or quinoa (I used a blend) and it with your chopped chicken. Warm in the microwave until it reaches the desired temp. Then top your bowl with kalamata olives, tomatoes, hummus and Tzatziki. I like having an easy way to get an E meal in me that isn’t the same ol’ sandwich. I hope these 5 THM leftover chicken lunch ideas help you to use up your leftovers and save you some money from the takeout line.

A creamy and rich low carb soup that comes together in just a few minutes using leftover grilled cheeseburgers.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Burgers are a staple of summertime. Soup usually makes me think Fall and Winter. But when I am eating low carb, soups are such an easy way to get a satisfying and simple meal.

So I broke the rules and ate soup in the 90 degree heat. I have air conditioning and I lived through it (and loved it)!

This low carb bacon cheeseburger soup was made even easier and more flavorful by using leftover cheeseburgers from the night before.

My husband grilled cheeseburgers the night before and we had one of our staple dinners, Cheeseburger Salad. The next day at lunch I was trying to find something quick and tasty. I saw the leftover burgers and it hit me. I could make a low carb bacon cheeseburger soup, use my leftovers, and have a yummy meal. Win.

Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

We follow the Trim Healthy Mama plan at our house so this is a THM S Meal because of the cheese, cream and red meat. If you follow another low carb plan, this will fit within that or your Keto lifestyle. (See how I lost 22 lbs postpartum in 3 months with THM)

While looking at recipes, I first saw a cheeseburger soup on i Save A 2 Z. I made some small modifications and added in leftovers to make this soup delicious and budget friendly by using leftovers.

Start by prepping your bacon. Make this even easier by using bacon bits that you already have or cook your bacon in your soup stock pot to make it a one pot meal like I did.

The Leftovers

Chop your leftover cheeseburgers up into bite size pieces.

You can use cooked ground beef in the soup but the leftover burgers really amp up the flavor of the soup. Plus you get to use up leftovers from your bbq! Don’t let your money get tossed out by not eating your leftovers.

Add your butter, seasonings, bone broth, marinara and shredded cheese. I use the Bone beef broth from Walmart as an easy way to increase the nutritional value. Add your cream cheese.

My cheese grater broke recently so I had to get creative with my pot strainer to get my cheese shredded! It wasn’t easy but it worked. There is a hack for you if yours breaks too! Do what you have to do to get dinner on the table! #momlife

Add your chopped burgers and bacon bits. Next, add in your heavy cream and simmer it all together. (Don’t mind my amazing clip on spoon that is taking up 1/2 the picture!)

Cheeseburger Soup Toppings

Top the soup with your choice of dill pickle slices (sounds weird but so good), more shredded cheese and sliced jalapenos.

Your leftover low carb bacon cheeseburger soup is rich and decadent. The leftover burgers really give this soup a burger in a bowl taste. I hope you try it to use your leftovers and have a yummy lunch or dinner for the family. Don’t forget to see the can’t miss cheesy salsa chicken recipe that also fits with Keto/low carb/ THM S. And if you are looking for more ways to use your leftovers, here are 5 ways to use your chicken.

Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Course

Soup

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

5 Slices bacon
3-4 Leftover Cheeseburgers (or 1 lb Ground Beef)
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Marinara Sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 cups Bone Beef Broth (or regular beef broth)
2 tsp Mustard (yellow, spicy or dijon)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
3 oz Cream cheese
1/2 cup Heavy Cream