Foodie Fridays: Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup

Our weather has been unbelievably cold recently, which puts me in the mood for soup, so here is a second soup recipe in a row!  My version is based on a recipe called Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup, although I left out the carrot and onion and added a little garlic instead.  I also used broccoli that was already cooked because I had leftovers (I probably used more than the 3-4 cups called for in the recipe, but I love broccoli).  Your cheddar cheese should be as sharp as possible for the best flavor, in my opinion.  A genius idea from the original recipe is the use of a potato masher to break up the broccoli pieces so that you do not end up with a hunk of broccoli too big to eat easily in a spoonful of soup.  And even though I forgot to do it, garnish your bowl of soup with even more shredded cheese, because broccoli and cheddar cheese soup can never have too much cheese!

Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup

3 T. butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
3 T. flour
3 C. vegetable or chicken stock
2 C. milk
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated (plus more for serving)
3-4 C. chopped cooked broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg

Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Cook the garlic in the butter for one minute.  Whisk in the flour and cook for another minute.  Slowly whisk in the stock until there are no more flour lumps.  Whisk in the milk.  Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes (you are making a very thin cream sauce, so it will not thicken very much).

Stir in the broccoli and heat through.  Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese in small batches, stirring until smooth after each addition.  Remove the pot from the heat.  With a potato masher, smash the broccoli into small pieces.  Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste if desired.  Stir in a pinch of nutmeg and serve sprinkled with additional shredded cheese.  Serves 6.

Note: This soup does not freeze well.