It's been way too long since I last posted a recipe to share with you all. My apologies. Although it's almost the end of September and we still have Summer weather, we did get one cold day last week that got me really excited for Fall. It was time to bring out the Fall decorations and break out the big pots to make some soup.
I was in the mood for broccoli and cheese soup, it's one of my favorites. When I saw that I had celery and carrots in the fridge that needed to be cooked soon, I figured I'd use those too. There was bound to be a recipe online somewhere that included all three. Behold Pinterest. The answer for simple, easy and delicious recipes. I found tons of recipes that included veggies and so I looked through a handful of them and found
Cooking Classy's Cheesy Vegetable Chowder to be one of the easiest. I tweaked it a bit to fit what we had around the house so I didn't have to run to the store, but it still turned out pretty delicious and the family was pretty happy with it.
I'm so excited about Fall. That's one of the things I love about living in Canada. We get all four seasons and appreciate them all. Although I'll miss Summer and will be complaining that I want warm weather once Winter is here, I'm still looking forward to warm socks, cozy sweaters and cuddling on the couch with the family.
I hope you get a chance to try out this recipe. You won't be disappointed! What's your favorite kind of soup you like to make for your family in the Fall?
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
Ingredients
5 1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
3 Carrots (chopped)
2 Celery (chopped)
1 Small Yellow Onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 large peeled and cubed russet potatoes
2 cups chopped broccoli florets (from about 2 heads)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt and ground black pepper
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups milk (preferably 1% or 2%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broccoli florets and cook until veggies are tender, for me this was about 8 minutes.
While that's cooking, in a saucepan melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Stir in 6 Tbsp flour and cook, whisk for 1 minute. While whisking slowly pour in milk, making sure there are no lumps. Cook while stirring constantly until sauce begins to gently boil and thicken. Then stir in heavy cream. Remove from heat and once all veggies are tender pour into the soup and stir. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Serve warm.
