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

By Laura

It may be time to put the grill away and bundle up a little bit but, fortunately, Tillamook Cheese tastes just as good when it’s cooked in an oven! I made this dish for a family gathering over a year ago, and my family is still talking about it! In fact, just last week my mother was reminding me that it was time for me to make this very recipe for her again. I hope your family enjoys it just as much as mine did!

Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese and Butter make this dish a family favorite.

Butternut Squash and Cheddar Gratin

Ingredients:

¾ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or coarse dry bread crumbs
1¾ cups (7 ounces) shredded Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 tablespoon Tillamook Butter, melted
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced onions
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon dried thyme
black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups (approx 2 ½ pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ – inch cubes
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 2 quart (7 x 11 inch) baking dish.

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, ¾ cup cheese and melted butter. Set aside.

In a medium frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add onions, ½ teaspoon salt, thyme and black pepper. Cook about 15 minutes until onions are lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Set aside frying pan for later use.

In a medium bowl toss squash with flour to evenly coat. Stir in remaining teaspoon of salt, parsley and remaining cup of cheese. Spread squash mixture evenly over onions.

Set frying pan over low heat and add chicken stock to deglaze, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Pour over squash mixture. Cover with lightly buttered foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, top with cheese mixture and bake an additional 25 minutes, until bubbly and top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

By Laura