Cheese Soup

Cheese Soup 

Cheese!  Need I say more? We put it on sandwiches, salads, crackers, and make dips that we all love. Soup is another great use. This soup is a meal in itself and the cheese helps you feel full and very satisfied. The how-to is in the comments!

Disclaimer: As always fresh beats canned or powdered, but in the end you will have a delicious soup regardless of how pressed you are for ingredients. 

Put about 1/2 stick butter in a pot. Once melted, add a diced onion, a can of carrots diced, and a few sticks of celery diced (or onion powder, celery salt). When veggies are soft, add ¼ cup flour and about a tablespoon of cornstarch. This is a shortcut for the Béchamel sauce in yesterday’s recipe (Chicken and Gnocchi Soup). Cook the flour/mix until it gets pasty – do not brown. Add salt and pepper.

Slowly add about 4 cups chicken broth (bought or homemade). Keep stirring until all flour/mix is incorporated into the broth. Let it get good and hot, but do not boil. Then very, very slowly add about a cup of heavy cream (yes, I know I use a lot of that). DO NOT BOIL once any MILK product has been added. 

Once that gets incorporated and good and hot, start adding cheese. You can use cheddar cheese you shred yourself (cheaper and it melts better – already shredded cheese comes with a “magic” coating that keeps it from sticking together which inadvertently keeps it from melting easily). But you can use already shredded cheese if you like – either way put in about 2 cups. Once melted add some good ole Velveeta chunks! A whole pound of it. It gives the soup body and smoothness. You will not regret doing this.

Once all that has blended nicely, top it off with some cayenne pepper and a shake of paprika. If the soup is not as smooth as you like, you can take ½ of it out and run it through a blender/food processor or use an immersion blender (you need to get yourself one of those – 99% less clean up, quick, and so easy). Plop in some croutons or serve in a bread bowl if you are so inclined. 

Makes enough to feed 8 or so and sharing is always a good thing to do. You should be able to make this in less than 15 minutes (unless your cheese is stubborn). Do not skip adding the cayenne – makes the soup have a zing! Tell a friend to say "CHEESE" and then honor them with a big bowl of goodness!