veggie-filled broccoli cheese soup.

I recently read an article in The Atlantic that touched on food waste and food deserts in our country. It is truly eye-opening to learn about the more than 150,000 tons of food that Americans throw away each day, and the 20 million people who live in areas without access to affordable fresh produce. I am definitely guilty of contributing to the food waste statistic because it was easier to pick up dinner at a local restaurant rather than cook at home.

Seeing those statistics juxtaposed made me challenge myself: use all the fresh produce that I buy at the grocery store. (I often buy a lot!)

Two weeks ago it was freezing outside and pouring rain. I had had a long week at the office and was cozy inside, ready to start the weekend! I was hungry, but couldn’t figure out where I wanted to go out to eat or what type of cuisine I felt like having for dinner, and didn’t really want to go out in the crazy weather. I opened up my fridge and saw so many fresh vegetables that were perfectly good, just waiting to be eaten. The half-full Costco-sized bag of broccoli staring at me then inspired a veggie-filled broccoli cheese soup!

This cozy winter dinner was actually pretty easy to make and Mr. S, who is picky and can be somewhat averse to multiple veggies, loved it! It hit the comfort food spot and also used a lot of produce we already had!

Need:

4 cups fresh broccoli

1 celery stick

1 cup butternut squash, cubed

1 pound bag frozen cauliflower rice

.75 white onion

2 garlic cloves

1 quart chicken broth

1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper

.25 tablespoon nutmeg

16 ounces shredded mild cheddar cheese

Hollyized Steps:

Dice the onion. Then add the garlic, celery stick, and butternut squash to a small food processor. Pulse until all the ingredients are combined and pretty liquified. Small pieces are ok since we will use an emulsion blender later.

In your Le Creuset dutch oven or soup pot, begin cooking the onion. When the onion is translucent, add in the full quart of chicken stock, the liquified veggies from the food processor, and the nutmeg. Add all the cauliflower rice to the broth as well. Keep your stove on medium heat.

Chop your broccoli into chunks for easy and even cooking. Then add into the soup mixture. After approximately 15 minutes of cooking in the broth mixture, your broccoli should soften, but not mushy. You will be able to tell by the color.

Then remove your soup pot from the heat. Use your emulsion blender to breakdown all the vegetables in the soup and transform it into a ‘creamy’ consistency. I like to have a little texture in my broccoli cheese soup, so I used my emulsion blender in short spurts.

Next, bring your soup back to the stove on low to medium heat. Add in the full tablespoon of Cayenne pepper. Then slowly add the cheese: add a handful and stir it into your soup using a silicon spatula. You will do this a few times until all the cheese is added and melted.

Serve your veggie-filled broccoli cheese soup in a bowl and garnish with a little extra cheese. Enjoy this delicious dinner that is perfect for a cold winter night, and celebrate the fact that you used so much produce! Bonus: the leftovers are great for lunch or dinner!