Broccoli Soup with Gouda and Parmesan

I am so excited that I'm going home next Friday! I haven't seen my mom or my home since April and my dad since March, so I'm well overdue for some family time. It's also the bi-annual Grosslein reunion on Cape Cod, so Mom and I will drive out for that. Can't wait can't wait...

One of the major things you must keep in mind when preparing for a vacation is what you have in your fridge and pantry. You want to make sure that whatever's left won't spoil before you come back. Last week I inherited a bunch of leftover food from one of our volunteer groups, including two heads of broccoli. I knew I wouldn't eat them steamed, because that's just not something I do often. So I decided on soup.

I looked at a lot of broccoli soup recipes: ones with half and half, ones with an immersion blender, ones with "1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed"... the list goes on. I didn't want to use half and half because of my pseudo-lactose intolerance, don't have an immersion blender, and processed loaf cheese, just... no. Never. Then finally I found one that had the basic ingredients (milk, broccoli, cheese) and seemed adaptable.

Cream of Broccoli soup with cheese, adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker's adaptation of a similar recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (one whole stick) salted butter
1 red onion, chopped
1 small red potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups whole milk
2 heads broccoli, 1-inch florets and 1-inch rounds from the stem
Pepper
2 cups shredded 5-year aged gouda
1/2 cup parmesan, grated

1. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the onions and potato. When the onions are translucent and the potatoes are soft, slowly whisk in the milk.

2. Add the broccoli with lots of ground pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes until the broccoli is tender. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring in between to melt.

3. Transfer the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender if you have one) and blend on low until pulverized. Serve immediately or freeze in containers.

Notes: The potato eliminates the need for flour. When you add the broccoli, you may add salt but I didn't because the butter was salted.

This is a very tasty and easy recipe that makes a lot of soup. Great for a potluck or other large gathering of folks. 

Happy blending!