Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup

It snowed last night here in the northeast (again).  I personally would be happy not to see anymore snow this winter.  But the kids absolutely love it. 

While the gang enjoyed the white blanket outside, I surveyed our fridge to figure out what to make for lunch.   I thought something hot and hearty was in order on a day like this.

I found some broccoli, potatoes, onions, and cheese.

{ what's for lunch? }

Hmm.  What to do with these?  And then it dawned on me: 

{ warm-you-right-to-the-bone potato broccoli soup }

I found a great recipe for potato broccoli soup from Delish.com to work from and made some modifications.  What I really liked about this recipe is that it didn't let the broccoli stems go to waste!  All the other recipes I glanced at only used the broccoli florets.

The slight changes I made to the recipe include frying the vegetables in olive oil first, adding whole milk (you can also use heavy cream), using cheddar cheese instead of parmesan (I actually only had Mexican blend on hand but would have preferred to use solely cheddar), and garnishing with bacon bits.  You can obviously tell I don't believe in skimping on the fat.  However, if you are watching your diet, the recipe as-is on Delish.com is probably a healthier option.

When the family came in from the frigid cold, they were very delighted to see hot, homemade soup cooking on the stove.  Served with three-cheese seminola bread, it totally hit the spot and warmed them right to the bone.

Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Adapted from Delish.com; Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4 pounds broccoli, thick stems diced (about 2 cups), tops cut into small florets (about 1 quart)
5 medium-sized red potatoes, diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 pieces bacon, fried and diced (for garnish)

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add butter, potatoes, onions, and broccoli stems.  Sautee for 5-10 minutes until onions turn golden brown.
2. Add broth, milk, salt, and pepper.    Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
3. In a food processor or blender, pulse the soup to a coarse puree.  Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer.   Add the broccoli florets and simmer until they are tender, about 5 minutes.   Stir 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into the soup, and serve the soup topped with the remaining cheese.  Sprinkle bacon bits on top.

Hope you're all staying warm out there and getting to enjoy the snow a bit like these guys: