For some reason, Super Bowl foods tend to be pretty meat-centric. When I think game day foods, I think chili (with ground turkey or beef), burgers, steaks or Italian hoagies (also known as subs/grinders/heros/po'boy in other parts of the country) stacked high with salami. But there are lots of other things that make good, warming, stick to your ribs game food (important if you plan on playing a half-time game of touch football).

Recently I made a pot of Broccoli and Cheddar Soup, which would make a great Super Bowl offering. It uses a full half pound of cheddar (the sharper the better) so your carnivores will feel satisfied, but also incorporates several large heads of broccoli, making it feel slightly healthy. It can also be made the day before and reheated, which is always a nice feature when you're cooking for a crowd.




Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 large or 3 small broccoli crowns, roughly chopped (you can use stem as well, as long as you peel away the tough parts)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, saute onion in olive oil until translucent, about five minutes. Then add broccoli and stock. Cover and cook until tender.

While the veggies are cooking, in a smaller pot, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over the butter and mix with whisk until they are incorporated and the flour starts to brown a little. Then slowly add the milk in stages, whisking to prevent lumps. When all milk is incorporated turn heat down to low and add the cheese in batches, whisking as it melts in. When all the cheese is incorporated, turn off heat.

Veggies should be tender by now. Puree with an immersion blender, or work in batches with a blender (taking care not to burn yourself with the hot liquid). When the veggies are all blended, stir in the cheese sauce you've just made, whisking to incorporate. If you've used an immersion blender, you can use it to zap the cheese sauce into the veggies, but steady whisking will do the trick as well. Serve hot.