Soup-er Sunday – A Perfect Blend

When I told Christian I wanted to make broccoli cheddar soup this weekend, he scrunched up his face at me. He suggested I make potato instead. So like the good wife that I am, I made his request…….without letting go of my want for broccoli cheddar soup. I made broccoli cheese and potato soup.

I found the recipe on the same website as our yummy chicken nugget recipe from last nights dinner. (Seriously who needs a cookbook now that the internet is full of great food blogs?) Skinny Taste came to my rescue again and produced another winner.

The recipe was simple and straight forward. My favorite detail was that it only required on pot to cook everything. I normally have a lot of dishes to wash after I make soup. Not tonight. I just had to wash out my food processor and the soup pot.

Here is the recipe and the directions straight from the website:

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 281.6 • Fat: 8.0 g • Carb: 33.0 g • Fiber: 5.0 g • Protein: 20.4 g  

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
• salt and fresh pepper
• 4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
• 1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 slices 2% American cheese
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor.

In a large soup pot, melt butter.  Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, then cover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don’t have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. This helps thicken it a bit.

I followed the instructions step by step EXCEPT I sautéed my veggies in olive oil before I realized I was supposed to saute them in butter. Oops. I choose to leave the skin on my potatoes since a lot of the nutrients in a potato are in the skin. I skipped the last step on the recipe too.  I don’t have an immersion blender YET (I have a feeling there will be one under the Christmas tree waiting for me though, I hope!). My soup was plenty thick without the last step.

Cole even helped me in the kitchen tonight. It was fun to have a little side kick adding potatoes and broccoli. I’m convinced that he is more willing to try foods and enjoy them when he helps me cook them.  The soup was hit with the whole family. Cole, Christian and I enjoyed every last bite. For once I wish the recipe made more. I will double the recipe next time I make it.