Broccoli Cheese Soup

Fall is my favorite season for soup! This is also a great meal to serve vegetarian friends or if your a vegie yourself :) In the picture I didn't have celery or carrots to work with. But the soup still turned out great.

Boil for 15 minutes:

1 cup carrots, cut

Remove carrots and set aside. Bring fresh water to a boil and blanch broccoli for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside broccoli. You may need to cook this in batches depending on the size of your pot:

3-4 large bunches broccoli

In a very large soup pot saute for about 5 minutes:

4 T butter
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup celery
Add and whisk for about 30 seconds:

1/3 cup flour

Add very slowly and whisk over medium heat until thick. About 10-15 minutes. Stir often:

4 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper


When the milk is thickened remove from heat. You do not want to add the cheese while the stove is still hot. It will curdle your soup. Add:

4 cups cheddar cheese. (Tillamook!!)
drained broccoli, and drained carrots

Serve warm!