From the Farmer's Market: Broccoli Cheese Soup

In my farm box last week I got two big bunches of broccoli.  I was planning on roasting them as a side dish, but then what should have been a warm summer day turned into a cold wintry one, so soup sounded like a good idea. 

This is based on a Cooking Light recipe, but with a few modifications.  The original called for Lite Velveeta Cheese, but I used a combination of low-fat cream cheese and grated Mexican blend as this was what I had on hand (and sounded so much better than Velveeta anyway!)  It was very easy and came together in about half an hour.  I had a second helping for my lunch today, and I think it was even better than yesterday when I made it.

Start off by sauteing some onions and garlic in a little olive oil, then add the broccoli (cut up into small florets), along with some chicken broth.  I also used part of the broccoli stalk, cut into about the same size as the stalk on the florets, so that they would cook in the same time. 

After simmering for about 10 minutes, add milk combined with a little flour and bring to a boil again to thicken.  Add the cheese, puree with an immersion blender, and that's it!  (If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer in batches to a food processor or blender to puree, being careful as the soup is very hot.  If you don't know what an immersion blender is, please see my separate post.

Here's the recipe:

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Serves 6

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb broccoli florets
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups low fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 oz low-fat (neufchatel) cream cheese
4 oz grated Mexican blend cheese (or grated cheddar)
crumbled bacon (optional)

1. Pre-heat soup pot over medium heat.  Add oil and onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute another two minutes.
2. Add broccoli and chicken broth to pan.  Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk flour into milk until smooth, then add milk mixture to soup.  Bring to the boil and cook until the soup thickens, about 5 minutes.
4. Add cheeses and pepper and stir until cheese has melted.
5. Blend soup with an immersion blender, or transfer to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
6. Check seasoning and add salt to taste.
7. Serve with bacon bits and a drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Nutrition per serving (about 1 1/3 cups): 260 calories, 127 calories from fat, 14.5 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 308 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 15 g protein