Comfort food: Vegetable Cheese Chowder

by Stefania Butler, Posted Jan 26th 2006 @ 4:42PM

Ohmigod this soup is so good. But what's not to love about a soup that contains half a pound of shredded cheese and a cup of heavy cream? If it's wintry where you live, or even if it's not, why not try this soup for dinner? It's ready in about 45 minutes so you can even make it on a work night. And if you like to cook on the weekend, it freezes beautifully.

This would be great to serve at a Super Bowl Party. The recipe doubles easily, and it is so rich that a little goes a long way. Enjoy the cheesy, velvety goodness!

Stefania's Vegetable Cheese Chowder

A friend gave me a version of this recipe which I promptly lost. This is the version I make from memory. You can take short-cuts and use boxed organic chicken (or "no-chicken") broth and pre-shredded cheese. I did.

A stick (immersion) blender will make quick work of blending this soup.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 large onion
1 cup each: celery, carrots, zucchini, yellow bell pepper; chopped
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
6 cups of chicken broth/stock
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 lb of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or a blend of different cheeses), plus a little more for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat and add all vegetables. Cook until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes or so, carrots will still be a little firm. Sprinkle in the flour in three batches, mixing well between each addition. Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.

Slowly pour in chicken broth, mixing constantly, scraping any bits up from the bottom of the pot. Stir as the soup comes to a simmer and the flour is fully incorporated and the soup is velvety. Continue cooking soup about 10 minutes more then blend the soup with a stick blender. It doesn't have to be totally smooth, some chunks are okay. Finally, add in the cream and the cheese and warm the soup back up without letting it simmer. Check for salt and pepper. It may not need any salt if your broth is salted. The cheese is salty, too.

Remove from heat. Ladle into bowls, garnish with extra shredded cheese if desired. Delicious with crusty bread, a simple salad, and a pint of stout. Serves four.

Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Ingredients, How To
Tags: comfort food, ComfortFood, dinner, soup, superbowl party food, SuperbowlPartyFood, vegetable cheese chowder, VegetableCheeseChowder, vegetables, west coast