I’ve made a few different soups before, but never really tackled one with a creamy base. I like my soups pretty simple. I probably used more ingredients here than I needed to. Generally at this point with soups or chili, I just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and see what happens. I read a few different recipes at the top of a Google search, and went from there. I am really bad at measuring stuff. I just throw in an eyeballed amount.

Tools you’ll definitely need:

• Stock pot
• Cheese grater
• Spoon
• Spatula

Ingredients:

• 1½ sticks of butter
• ¾ cup of flour
• ½ cup of shredded carrots
• ¼ cup of diced celery
• ½ Spanish onion
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. ground mustard
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 32 oz. box of chicken stock
• 32 oz. box of chicken stock
• 32 oz. box of vegetable broth
• 2 bundles of fresh broccoli (chopped up into spoon-sized pieces)
• ¼ cup of bacon pieces
• 7 oz. block of extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
• 7 oz. block of white cheddar cheese (grated)
• ½ cup of parmesan cheese
• 1 lb. block of Velveeta (cut onto small chunks)
• 2 cup bag of shredded “mac & cheese blend” cheese
• 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Method:

1. Melt butter on medium heat in the bottom of your stock pot, add celery, carrots, onions, & sautée for a bit.
2. Mix spices with the flour, add to pot to make a roux and let it get a nice color brown.
3. Add minced garlic at the end… sometimes it burns easily.
4. Add 3 boxes of stock, then the buttermilk while it’s still cool to prevent curdling.
5. Add broccoli & bacon pieces, bring to a boil, simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Turn heat to low, stir in all that cheese.
7. Add mashed potato flakes to thicken. (I think I poured in a bit more buttermilk in here too.)

Notes:

• Obviously, you can use your preferred onions, cheeses, stock, etc. You could use heavy cream instead of buttermilk.
• I would say next time I will make more roux & use one less box of broth for a thicker soup. Maybe a bullion cube would add flavor without the liquid? I could cook it longer to get it thicker too. I like a ridiculously thick soup.
• I like to use beer in ham soup, I bet it would go great here. Maybe I could sub that & a bullion cube for a box of broth next time?
• I read that the bagged pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as easily, but it seemed to incorporate just as well as the rest of the stuff.

So, that’s it. I would be very interested in your suggestions, tips, tricks, & “secrets” in the comments. Have you tried this recipe? Did you put your spin on it? Let me know in the comments.

I thought about putting this in a bread bowl, but I opted to make my take on ham & cheese oven sandwiches. Maybe I’ll get into baking next time, or just buy some bread bowls pre-made.

🥦🧀🥣

If you liked this recipe, maybe check out these ones:

• My absolute favorite: Ham n’ Bean n’ Tater Stew
• Easy, Quick, and Delicious – Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup 🥣
• Ham N’ Bean Soup.
• Non-Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
• Nine Can Vegetable Soup
• Turkey Noodle Soup
• Chili (AiXeLsyD13 Style) 🌶
• How yinz make your chili? 🌶 [Chili à la AiXeLsyD “Recipes”] 🌶
• Eric’s Decadent Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
• Stuffing Recipe – Thanksgiving 2009