Broccoli Cheddar Soup

While you might think I'm crazy to be craving soup during these hot days we've been having, sometimes there is just something very satisfying about enjoying a fresh bowl for lunch. It also adds a bit of a change for me from my normal pita or sub sandwiches I often eat. And frankly, if the soup has cheese any where in it's name, then that's all the more reason to enjoy!

I had the urge for a good bowl of cheddar and broccoli soup, and not the canned kind, so that's exactly what I whipped up for lunch last week. Off to allrecipes.com I went and found a pretty easy recipe. I picked up a couple bushels of fresh broccoli at the store, and the rest I had in my cupboard. It really is a simple recipe, as I believe most soups are, and I've been inspired by friends who frequently make their own (Jess, you're one of them!).  You could probably make a low-fat version of the below by using skim milk and low-fat cheese, but for the first attempt, I followed the recipe pretty closely.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh broccoli

2 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups cubed processed cheese

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream or half & half

1 box chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place broccoli in a medium saucepan and cover with chicken stock. Cook until tender. Set aside and do not drain.

2. In a large saucepan, heat milk. Blend in the flour and cheese until smooth. Stir in the cream. Add the broccoli and it's broth to the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Heat soup to warm and serve.

I recommend using a very large saucepan when mixing the milk and cheese; I thought I had a big enough one, but when it came to adding the broccoli and broth, I realized I was going to have to up-size. I also added one extra step of blending the mixture to break up the big chunks of broccoli. I ended up  putting the soup into the blender in two batches after I couldn't locate my handheld immersion mixer (I, of course, found it like 10 minutes later; turned out it was in the only place I didn't look because I was sure it wasn't there!).

I like the texture of the blended soup a lot better. And if you like your soup a little less 'soupy,' add the broccoli first, then add the broth in small ladles to your base until you have your desired thickness. I added it all, but in hindsight, I would have probably added less. But by blending it, it does also add a bit of thickness.

The great thing with this soup is that it freezes very nicely. So, while I enjoyed a small bowl for lunch last week, I let the rest cool to portion into freezer containers - 2 more small bowls, and 1 large one, which we are going to enjoy for dinner this week, probably with a slice of fresh bread...