Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 I have always wanted to cook a Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and last night, I finally did so! I realized while cooking it, that I'd never even eaten this soup before, so why did I have such a great desire to make it?  Well it's got both broccoli (my favorite veggie) and Cheddar (my favorite cheese) so I guess instinctively I knew it would be a great success for my taste buds....and indeed it was!  It was super easy to make, only took about 30 minutes in total to prep and cook time, and was a big hit with Justin (the same man who makes fun of me constantly for cooking soups....).  I paired the soup with a Pressure Cooked Pot Roast which I will also give you the recipe for.....it was INCREDIBLE.  I am officially jumping on the Pressure Cooker bandwagon and insisting everyone buys one immediately!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup - 8 soup servings

1 bunch Broccoli

1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 small Onion, diced

1 Red-Skinned Potato, diced

1/4 cup Flour

3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 1/2 cups Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese (plus more for garnishing)

1 12oz Can Evaporated Milk (you can use Low-fat if you can find it!)

Salt & Pepper

Scallions, for garnish, thinly sliced

 > Remove stems and florets from the broccoli - finely chop the stems and roughly chop the florets. Also, dice up your onion and potato.

> In a large pot, add Olive Oil, onion, broccoli stems, and potato and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions start to become translucent.

> Add in your flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring so as not to burn the flour.

>  Next, add in your chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile in a separate pot, add 1/2 cup of water and your broccoli florets, and cook for about 5-8 minutes (covered) until broccoli is tender.

 

> After your stock has finished it's 15 minutes of simmering, add the entire contents of the broccoli florets along with the nutmeg and stir.

>Now add in your cheddar cheese and evaporated milk and stir together to combine.  Taste and season with salt and pepper to your desire. Serve immediately with a garnish of shredded cheddar cheese and thin chopped scallions.

 Super easy and delicious - makes 8 soup servings!

 For the Pot Roast, I seasoned 3lbs of Chuck Roast with salt and pepper.  In a pressure cooker I added 1 medium onion roughly chopped, 6 sprigs of Tarragon, the chuck roast, and enough water to cover 3/4 of the meat.  Cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes (20 minutes per pound).  Use the quick release on your pressure cooker and serve.  The meat was so tender and flavored - I am officially obsessed.  Not to mention, the liquid makes a great beef stock that you can use later on!