At my office, we celebrate the monthly birthdays with a nice lunch together. This month the birthday team decided to have a soup and salad bar. Yum! I decided to sign up for a soup and debated on a favorite to bring. Ultimately, I decided on broccoli potato and cheese. This is a great combo, and can be modified for any vegetarians. I love the large broccoli pieces, and savory flavors. This is a wonderful soup to warm you up on cold nights.
Speaking of cold nights, we have a foot of snow! Grrrr.... Just when I thought it all may be coming to end. Deceived, deceived , deceived. Hopefully it will melt soon!
Ingredients adapted from allrecipes.com
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups half & half
3 cups 1% milk
5 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock works too!)
1 1/2 lb fresh broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
1 cup julienned carrots
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed Velveeta
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl butter
2/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
Boil cubed potatoes till they are a little hard on the inside. Drain and set aside.
Saute onion in butter till tender. Set aside.
Cook melted butter and flour in a large pot using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half and milk. Add the chicken stock whisking the entire time. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots potatoes and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for about 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thick by now. Pour half the soup into a blender, puree, and return to pot (I use an immersion blender for this). Return to heat and add both cheeses; stir until well blended. Stir in nutmeg and serve.
Serves 10-12Labels: cheese, potatoes, soup, vegetarian
