Broccoli Cheese Soup

The blogger who goes by "Biz" at www.mybizzykitchen.com makes some terrific looking soups.  I have made a number of them and have really enjoyed them all. This past week, Biz posted a Broccoli Cheddar Soup which pretty much called for dumping all the ingredients (except the cheese) into the pot, simmering, blending, and eating.  It sounded great to me.  When I had all my ingredients assembled, it occurred to me I might want to not cook my broccoli for 30 minutes so I switched up the instructions a bit.  I also added some additional veggies and I used Velveeta cheese instead of cheddar because I happened to have some Velveeta on hand.  I like that this recipe calls for potatoes to help thicken the soup.  I am thinking cauliflower could possibly be used in place of the potatoes as a thickener.  The soup calls for crushed red pepper flakes at the end which I think is brilliant.  This is a super good soup!  I will have some for the week for lunches and I popped a few containers in the freezer for later in the month.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

(Adapted from www.mybizzykitchen.com 
Original Recipe link is HERE.)

a small amount of extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 to 3 carrots, diced
2 to 3 celery stalks, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 pound of russet potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and diced
2 cups low fat (1% milk)
4 to 5 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounces Velvetta cheese, cute into cubes

Warm oil in a dutch oven over medium heat; add the onion, celery, and carrots.  Add a pinch of salt.  Saute the veggies for about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent and soft.

Add in the broth and potatoes.  Cover and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until no chunks remain.

Add in the milk and broccoli, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender (about 10 minutes).  Add in the cubed Velveeta cheese a little at a time and stir in until melted and well incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

I need to take a photo of this soup. Next I want to try the Lasagna Soup Biz keeps making...