Broccoli Cheese Soup for a Cool Fall Day

Fog this morning, clouds all day, and that hint of rain in the air make me think that fall is finally here to stay.  And today, I embraced it with boots, sweaters, and baking.  I also took a detour from our monthly menu and made Broccoli Cheese Soup for dinner.  What I love about this recipe is that all of the ingredients are staples in my kitchen so it is easy to fix at the last minute.

In a medium sauce pan, boil 1 1/2 C water with 3 cups of broccoli, both chopped and florets, until the broccoli is cooked.  Reserve the liquid.

In a large, deep skillet saute:
1 small onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
1 T butter

Add to this, 2 T flour and stir quickly and well.  Pour the reserved broccoli water into this mixture and stir until smooth.

Pour in:
1 1/2 C fat-free milk
1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
(or any combination thereof to make 3 cups)

Bring to the point of boiling so that the sauce has thickened, but do not boil.

Add the following spices:
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Finally, add the cooked broccoli and 4 slices of American cheese (it melts the best).  Simmer until cheese is melted.

I like to serve this with Garlic-Cheese Biscuits.  Yum!



Originally found in a magazine, I've tweaked this recipe to our tastes.