Broccoli Cheese Soup from Scratch

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This is a basic 'how-to' broccoli soup recipe with suggestions for ingredients to use--besides the broccoli.   Use the quantities you want (a half pound of cheese sounds like a lot to me!) or eliminate those ingredients you don't have or don't wish to use.  Sometimes I add potatoes to broccoli soup to thicken it if I don't want to use cheese and while I have never added mushrooms, I bet they are a great flavor enhancement.
Cleo, Food Bank volunteer

 

 Things you'll need:

• fresh broccoli
• medium onion
• carrots
• celery
• portobello mushrooms
• milk
• cheese
• garlic
• olive oil
• large pan
• wooden spoon
• knife and cutting board

  directions:

• Start by dicing the broccoli, onions, carrot, celery, and mushrooms. Grate the carrots because they seem to be more flavorful that way. You are looking for a fine dice on these items.
• Put a large pan on the stove, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and turn on the heat to about medium. Heat the pan, and add the veggies. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Stir with the wooden spoon until the veggies are soft and the onions go clear. Be sure not to burn this mixture. Add a little salt and pepper.
• Next add two to three cups of vegetable stock. Pour this gently into the pan, avoiding steam that will come up. The stock will pick up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan and incorporate them into your soup for even more flavor. Cook this on medium to low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Slowly pour in two to three cups of milk. You can use any style of milk that you have on hand, even canned milk if it is not sweetened. Mix thoroughly. Add in one half pound of shredded cheese. I also added a quarter cup of parmesean cheese. Mix over medium to low heat until the cheese is completely melted. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste at this stage.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your heat low on this soup to avoid burning or sticking
• Soup will thicken upon standing or cooling
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly.
• This soup will be very hot!  

 Difficulty: Moderately Easy

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