Vegetable Cheese Chowder

This past week has been rainy and cold, which has brought with it a random soup season in the end of April. Our family goes through soup seasons (we blame it mostly on mom). But when it is freezing and rainy, what's better than a hot bowl of delicious soup?!

SO, over the past couple rainy soup seasons, my family has become addicted to this soup! For example, we have made this soup twice in less than 36 hours, hah!  It is seriously so tasty and it's also full of tons of veggies (which is magical in my mind because it tastes so good). 

My mother found this recipe on Cooking Classy!  This soup is the perfect amount of creamy to healthy.  Trust me, you will not believe the amount of nutrients in this soup, it tastes like food from heaven. It is even in the the top three of favorite soups (only I would have a list of favorite soups, hah). We love to throw in any extra vegetables we have in the fridge. And we always add in one medium red or yellow pepper, diced. ENJOY!

Vegetable Cheese Chowder

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Yield: About 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

5 1/2 Tablespoons butter, divided

1 1/3 cups chopped carrots (about 3)

1 medium bell pepper, diced (optional-this is what we add)

1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (2 large)

3 cups chopped broccoli florets (from about 2 heads)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot oven medium heat, melt 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the butter. Add carrots, bell pepper, celery and onion and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes, and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broccoli and cook 5 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 Tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly for one minute. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in milk (whisk well until no lumps remain). Cook stirring constantly until mixture begins to gently boil and thicken, stir in heavy cream. Remove from heat and once all veggies are tender pour into soup and stir. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve warm.
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