Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have a confession to make - I really don't like broccoli. They only way that I like broccoli is in soup.  Actually only in soup with cheese! And sprinkled with bacon.

This soup is so yummy even the broccoli haters in your family will love it!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

3 cups vegetable stock

1 cup of milk (I used 2%)

1 cup half and half

4 cups of chopped broccoli

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

garnish ideas:

croutons

shredded cheddar cheese

crumbled bacon

finely chopped broccoli


Directions:

In a large soup pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until they soften about 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for a minute.

Add the flour a little at a time to the onion mixture. Continue stirring until the flour "lumps" are smooth.

Whisk in the vegetable stock. Next stir in the milk and half and half. Increase heat and bring the mixture to simmer.

Reduce the heat and add the broccoli. Let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.

While the soup is simmering I usually fry a few strips of bacon. And finely chop a few broccoli florets. Crumble the bacon and set aside. I like to make an extra piece of bacon for the chef (me).

Once the soup has simmered for 20 minutes and broccoli is tender remove the pot from the heat.

The soup can be put into a blender for a creamy texture. I was lazy and used an immersion blender and it worked perfectly. All of the broccoli was perfectly pureed and creamy.

Put the pot back onto the stove over a low heat and add the shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Oh melted cheese I love you!

Ladle the soup into bowls and add garnishes. Yum! Perfect on a rainy day.

I didn't have croutons so I added some oyster crackers.