Broccoli Cheddar Chowder

At a going away party for a friend of mine, I sampled this delicious soup and craved it for months until I finally asked my friend, Tara, for the recipe. We have now eaten it several times! YUMMY! For me, the best part is that it doesn’t have any Velveeta- I am not really a fan. Anyway it’s easy to make and super yummy! The kids even like it!

Broccoli Cheese Soup
4-5 cups cubed potatoes
2 cups diced carrots
1-2 cups chopped celery
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 heads broccoli, chopped
Measurements don’t really matter with the veggies—just put in whatever. Simmer these in 2 ½ cups water for 7-8 mins, covered. Then add two bunches of broccoli and continue to cook until veggies are tender.
*It will seem like not very much water but don’t add more, you can always add more if the soup is too thick at the end, but you don’t want to have to fix a soup that’s too runny.
In a separate pan. . .
½ cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
5 cubes or tsp chicken bouillon
1 Tbsp mustard
½ tsp pepper
1lb cheddar cheese, grated (I just fill my IKEA grater)
Melt butter/margarine and add flour. Cook this while stirring for 1-2 minutes. Then add milk, bouillon, mustard & pepper. When it thickens add the cheese and stir to blend—do not let the mixture boil after this, it will get chunky.
Add sauce to the un-drained veggies and stir until thickened.
YUM!
If you are wondering about that incredible looking breadstick here is what I do:
Make one recipe of my pizza dough then I let it rise for a good 30 minutes. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle. On half of the dough(lengthwise) spread garlic butter and then sprinkle cheese (mozzarella and parm). Fold rectangle in half, completely covering butter and cheese. Take a pizza cutter and cut strips of dough lengthwise and then simply twist and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise for 30 mins and bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. I honestly make soup so that I can eat breadsticks!