Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love making soup.  There is something heart warming about watching an empty pot turn into a delicious meal from scratch.  I've been trying to make some new recipes that I've never tried before this past week.  I had some broccoli in the refrigerator that no one seemed to want with any of our dinners so I decided to search for a broccoli soup recipe.  I thought a cream based soup might be a little more challenging than a broth based soup but it turns out it was just as easy.  I made two changes to this recipe 1) I cut the ingredients in half (measurements below are already 1/2 of the original)  and 2) I chopped the broccoli into tiny little pieces so I could skip the last step of putting the soup through a blender. It turned out really good and reminds me of something you could order at a restaurant.  I'm sure some hearty Italian bread would go well with this for dipping.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cups half-and-half
2 heads broccoli, stems removed and discarded, and florets cut into bite-size pieces
Pinch of nutmeg
6 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1.5 cups)
Salt and pepper
1 cup vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine, cooking for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and half-and-half.

2. Add the nutmeg, broccoli, a dash of salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring to melt the cheese after each addition.

3. Whisk in the vegetable broth and serve.
makes 5 servings.

Source:  Brown Eyed Baker