Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Recipe Swap

I had so much fun with my first recipe swap that I decided to jump right in to the next one, especially when I saw the category - soup. I love soup, all kinds of soup. I could eat it everyday. There is just something so welcoming about a bowl of piping hot soup. My kind of comfort food. This past Wednesday was the perfect day for me to try out my swap recipe from Jenna at Jenna's Cooking Journey. It was Ash Wednesday and as all you Catholics out there know, we don't eat meat on Ash Wednesday.

Unfortunately, I didn't plan ahead very well and didn't have all of the ingredients for Jenna's recipe but I had enough that I could give it a go with just a couple of substitutions. Joe was a little skeptical about just having soup for dinner but with the knowledge that there were leftovers in the refrigerator in case he needed them, he was ok with the plan. Let me tell you, after two large cups of soup, he proclaimed himself full and didn't need to touch the leftovers stashed in the fridge!

The soup was very good, nice and thick and creamy with great flavor and wasn't difficult to make at all. I didn't have enough cheddar for what the recipe called for so I put in a mix of Monterrey jack and cheddar. I didn't have any veggie broth or stock so I used water and added some garlic in with the onions and carrots. Also, I tried to lighten it up a big by using fat free half and half instead of regular half and half. There are leftovers at home that I can't wait to have for lunch this weekend!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Very slightly adapted from Jenna's Cooking Journey

Ingredients
1 0r 2 bunches (12 ounces) fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp butter, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, julienned or grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups fat free half and half
2 cups water, plus more if needed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 ounces good sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
4 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove broccoli and place into a large bowl of ice water. Once cooled, drain the broccoli and set aside.

In large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions, carrots and garlic in 2 tbsp of butter until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add 1/4 cup of butter to the pan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add in the flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in half and half and water until completely incorporated. Add in nutmeg and stir. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the onions, carrots, garlic and broccoli back into the pot. Add more water if you feel the soup is too thick (I add an additional cup at this point). Stir and cover and simmer for another 20-25 minutes.

Use a potato masher to break up the broccoli florets to your desired size (I kept most of my pretty big). Add in 3/4 of each type of cheese. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Serve immediately with additional cheese as garnish.