Broccoli and Cheese Soup

This is my first post that doesn't involve baking. Kind of funny because although I love to bake, I also love to cook. The cold, winter weather put me in a bit of a soupy mood last week. In fact, we had soup twice. Lucky us! This recipe is an adaptation of a "light" recipe I found years ago. Since I'm not a fan of using processed cheese in soup and not really interested in my broccoli cheese soup being low-fat or light, I made it the way I think it should be made. This soup is cheesy, creamy and stocked full of broccoli. This recipe is a huge hit at our house and bowls are nearly licked clean. Mmmmm! 

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped onion

4 cups chicken broth

1 head fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces

3 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups shredded cheese (we use a colby-jack blend, sometimes I use a pepper-jack and cheddar for a spicy version)

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Heat large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter. Once melted add garlic and onion. Saute 3-5 minutes until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes until broccoli is tender. 

Combine milk and flour, stir with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until soup has slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add shredded cheese, stirring until cheese melts. 

Use immersion stick blender to process until soup is at desired consistency. If you don't have a stick blender, remove 1/3 of the soup and place in blender, processing until smooth. 

Happy Eating!