Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup
Nothing says “hello fall” like the first bowl of homemade soup of the season. This recipe for Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup using Sharp Cheddar Cheese is simple and tasty! It also helps you cozy up and get warm on a crisp evening. Before you dive into the recipe, here are a few tips:
This recipe involves a lot of “fine chopping”. If you have a food processor, or special chopping tool, get them out for this recipe! The time it will save you is well worth it. Note: I am also a very slow chopper!
If you don’t have all of the different, called for spices lying around the house, it’s okay to omit a few. Just add the ones that you have, or like! I used a mixture of “Herbs de Provence” that I had already stocked in the kitchen (instead of buying new ones), and they worked great!
Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup
Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup. Yum!
Ingredients:
1 slice bacon, diced
1 tablespoon parsnip, finely chopped
1 tablespoon celery, finely chopped
½ tablespoon rutabaga, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 mushroom, finely chopped
1 shallot, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ tablespoon fresh basil, finely cut
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely cut
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely cut
½ teaspoon fresh parsley, finely cut
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into ¼”, pieces
1 small red potato, peeled and cut into ½”, pieces
¾ cup heavy cream
¾ cup Tillamook Medium or Sharp Cheddar Cheese, finely shredded
Directions:
In a medium-sized soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until well browned and nearly crisp. Remove the bacon pieces from the pot; drain them on a paper towel and reserve.
Add the parsnip, celery, rutabaga, mushroom, and shallot to the pot and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for an additional minute.
Add the broth, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, pepper, salt, and russet potato and bring the entire mixture to a slight simmer. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes over medium heat.
With a potato masher, mash the softened vegetables until there are no more large pieces and the soup is fairly smooth. Add the red potato and cream. Cover the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes over medium heat*.
Remove the pot from the heat, add the reserved bacon pieces, and whisk in the cheese. Serve immediately in hot bowls.
* If the soup is too thin for your liking, continue to cook the soup to desired thickness before you add the bacon and cheese. If the soup is too thick, add milk after adding the cheese and bacon.
Yields 4-5 Servings
