Guest Post: Veggie Cheddar Soup

Welcome the wonderful Candace as my newest guest blogger! Check out her delicious and cozy veggie cheddar soup recipe, below.
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The huge amount of dairy in this soup makes it deliciously good, if not exactly good for you. The recipe has been developed off of the inspiration of a pureed soup recipe card that my partner and I picked up at our local grocery store. What I like best about it is how customizable it is. For instance, we usually make it with chopped celery but since we went shopping on Super Bowl Sunday, there was nary a stick of celery to be found, so I just added extra potatoes and carrots to this batch. This recipe makes 8-10 servings.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
Two (2) large potatoes, cubed
Two (2) medium carrots, sliced
Two (2) celery stalks, chopped
One (1) medium onion, finely chopped
Two (2) teaspoon of vegetable bouillon

¼ cup of unsalted butter
One (1) green pepper, chopped
One (1) red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
Two (2) teaspoon of salt
One (1) teaspoon of paprika
One (1) teaspoon of black pepper
Six (6) cups of milk
Two (2) cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed

Directions
Combine your potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and bouillon with 4 cups of water in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Bring to a slow boil and allow to simmer until vegetables are tender (15-20 minutes). Remove from heat.
In another large pot (best if heavy bottomed) melt butter over medium heat. Add bell peppers and sauté until slightly tender.
Stir in flour and spices and cook, stirring constantly, until blended.
Gradually whisk in milk; cook and stir until boiling and thickened.
Combine with your pot of cooked vegetables and heat through.
Stir in cheese and remove from heat when melted.
Serve warm with some fresh toasted baguette!

Tips
This is a great recipe for modification. Experiment with adding your own favorite vegetables and spices. 

The last time I made this I added some garlic, cayenne pepper, and chives and it turned out great. It also pays to use a good quality, flavorful cheese (we’ve used Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar with good results). 

Lastly, this soup freezes very well for quick individual servings later; which is good because the recipe makes a lot of servings. 

Candace spends her time studying for her master’s degree, working, and trying to make time for hobbies. Her biggest fans happen to be cats.  Her severely neglected personal blog can be found at http://arclengthcafe.blogspot.com.