Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ignore the pink claws about to devour that coated roll... ;-)

Adapted from my Grandma's recipe.

Broccoli Cheese Soup... Yum! I think this is the quintessential chick food, or so my Hubby says. (He's not a huge fan... lol!) I however absolutely love the stuff, I used to live off of Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheese Soup, especially in a bread bowl. But when I moved out to the desert with my Farming Hubby, I discovered that there are NO Panera Bread's in the state!!! *GASP* I know! I miss it so dearly, but I do swear this is the next best thing! Now I ate this soup growing up, and I loved it then, but because we often ate at Panera it wasn't something we made. But since moving, I make this just for myself a few times a year at least because I start to crave it something awful. This soup is so easy and flavorful, I think I hear the last of the leftovers calling my name... haha! I've made this several times since the start of this blog, each time getting all excited to share it with you, and each and every single time I forgot to take a picture... *Slaps forehead* So I purposefully made a big ole pot of this soup this week so I could share it with y'all, don't you feel special?!? You really should, I don't share my secret recipes with just anyone (haha! That makes me laugh since I actually do...). The only person who's never tried my soup is my Hubby, why you might ask? It has no meat in it. Teeheehee! Boys... But it's cool because that means more for me and my girlfriends. ;-)

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Margarine
1/2 cup Celery, diced
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1/3 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 Quart of Milk (I use 1%)
1 Jar Cheez Whiz
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar
4-5 cups Cooked Broccoli and Cauliflower (I buy 2 of the frozen steamable bags, cook according to bags directions)
2 Carrots, Shredded

Directions:
In a large pot, melt the butter over med-low heat. Once melted add in the celery and onion and cook until soft. Meanwhile cook your broccoli and cauliflower, once cooked place in a food processor and pulse until slightly puree'd but still chunky (This is optional, I don't like huge chunks in my soup). Set aside and shred the carrots. Once the celery and onion are soft, add in the salt, pepper and flour stirring to form a ball. Add in the chicken stock and the milk. Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Add in the cheez whiz and shredded cheddar, and stir til melted. Do not let the soup boil! Once the cheese is all melted, add in your broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, just to let all the flavors combine. Serve warm.

Review:
This really is a simple soup, especially with the steam able bags they make now for the microwave. It helps it come together so much faster, and it really is inexpensive especially buying the store brand. Also since we don't really like broccoli or cauliflower outside of this soup for us it'd go to waste to buy fresh. But I have made it with fresh and it tastes delicious both ways! You could go with all shredded cheddar if you wanted, and not use the cheez whiz, but it melts so smoothly into the soup and I just love it! 5 stars.

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