My mom made this for us when I was growing up and it's still a favorite. I've made my own modifications, though, which make it even easier. 1) Instead of Velveeta, I buy a bag of shredded Mexican style cheese. Bags of shredded cheese are typically 8 oz. on the nose. 2) Instead of shredding carrots myself, I buy them pre-shredded. Quantity should be somewhere between 3/4 and 1 cup. 3) Cut the butter in half, reduce the flour to about a tablespoon, and use ground bison instead of beef for a lower fat version. 4) Soy milk subs for the regular milk just fine. 5) Occasionally, I'll reduce the potatoes and make up the difference with cauliflower. 6) This is where it gets blasphemous: After you brown the beef, just dump everything but the sour cream into a crock pot and let it cook on low all day. That butter/flour bit? It's all just going to melt into the soup anyway! I swear it comes out the same and it's a lot less work. Sour cream should be added just before serving.

Reviewed On: Oct. 22, 2009