Broccoli Cheese Soup

My good friend Lisa gave me this recipe, which is also found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-cheese-soup/. 

This is a nice warm winter soup, but obviously you can eat it anytime you want.  I made it a lot when I first got the recipe.

This is a great way to get kids to eat broccoli, and like it.  I love how smooth this soup is and how  rich in flavor it is.  I added shredded chicken to mine to bulk it up.  The benefit is it makes so much that it lasts for several meals which is less work for me.


Prep Time: 10 mins 
Cook Time: 30 mins
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli

4 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (1 lb) loaf processed cheese, cubed

2 cups milk

1 TBSP garlic powder

2/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded

Directions:

MELT butter over medium heat.   Saute onion in butter until softened.  Stir in broccoli, and pour in chicken broth.   Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

REDUCE heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted.   Mix in milk and garlic powder.

STIR cornstarch into water until dissolved.   Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens.

Gina's Tips: This recipe is great for making ahead of time.  It can be cooked in the morning or early afternoon and simmer on the stove until lunch or dinner time.  You can serve it as soon as the soup thickens but I like it better when it simmers for at least 30 minutes to get a richer flavor.  For the broccoli, I steam mine, chop it up, and then add it to the soup.  I usually don't care for the likes of Velveeta style processed cheese so I would like to try shredded cheddar cheese.  Until then this tastes delicious.