Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe

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It's Autumn.  It's not really cold here, but it rarely is.  I live in Texas on the Gulf Coast.  Anything below 700F is considered cool and if it gets as low as 60 we're breaking out the jackets.  

Some folks are already ready for warm weather to come back.  Not me.  I love the seasonal changes!!  Of course, we get so few around here you have to love what you can get.  

No matter what area of the world you live in, a nip in the air stirs up the desire for soup.  Sometimes it's something robust and hearty like gumbo, or a vegetable soup, or a chowder.  Other times it's something simple like cream of tomato or a potato soup you're craving.

Today, we're going to look at a basic soup recipe that is very popular in restaurants and super easy to make!  Plus, this soup can be used as a base or springboard for many other soups.  In fact, it's almost a "mother soup!!"

There are very few ingredients to this soup and I'll bet you have all or most of them in your home already!  

Since I'm sure you already saw the title, you know it's Cheddar Cheese Soup! 

The Ingredients

1/4 cup (114 gr) of butter - We're going to need some fat to keep things to cook more evenly and to help stop stuff from sticking to the pan.  You could use any fat here.  Here are some suggestions if you don't want to use butter: margarine, sunflower oil, coconut oil, lard, olive oil, etc.  Just don't use Extra Virgin olive oil because you lose the fruity flavors of it in the cooking process.  Leave EVOO for non-cooking applications.

1 medium onion, chopped - Onions are aromatics.  That means they add subtle flavors that do quite a lot to enhance a dish.  That's why you see them in recipes so much.  You can leave the onion out if you want but the dish won't taste as good.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour - We're going to be using the flour as a thickener.  You can use another thickener if you wish (like corn starch or xanthan gum) but the amount you use and the process is different for each one. 

6 cups (1.44 liters) of liquid - Technically you can use any liquid here.  Just remember that the liquid used will affect the flavor and texture of the soup.  Just tap water will not bring anything extra to the party; tomato sauce will add a lot of sweetness, flavor, and acidity; heavy cream will add a lot of thickness, mouthfeel, and weight on the stomach.  I'm suggesting a mixture of chicken stock, milk, and heavy cream.

1 pound (454 grams) cheddar cheese, shredded - Any melting cheese will work here but then it wouldn't be CHEDDAR cheese soup, would it!?!? You can use pre-shredded cheese or shred a block of it yourself.  The pre-shredded stuff is easier but more expensive.  Just make sure it's shredded by the time you start to cook.

The Hardware

3-Quart saucepan - You're going to need some room in order to blend the soup (more on that in a bit) so make sure you have a big enough pan.  We've got 6 cups of liquid so we're going to need something about twice the size.  That would be 12 cups or 3 quarts.

Cooking spoon - For stirring the soup.  You can forgo the spoon and just use a whisk if you want.

Large whisk - For stirring the soup and making sure everything incorporates well.  You can just use a cooking spoon if you want, you'll just have to stir more because the whisk moves things about better.

Stick blender or stand blender - We're going to try and make the soup as smooth as possible.  The best way to do that is to give it a whirl!  You can use either but I find the stick blender to be easier and less messy.

The Method

Place the saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter.  

Now add the onion and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).

Sprinkle the flour over the top of the onions and stir vigorously.  Don't just dump the flour in, that can create lumps.  Sprinkle it evenly across the top.  

Let it cook for several minutes stirring occasionally.  What you're doing here is cooking the flour.  Uncooked flour is nasty.  You want to make sure the flour is cooked for 3 or so minutes to get that uncooked flavor out.

Add the liquid, stock and moo juice, whisking constantly to make sure any flour lumps are broken up.

Cook until it just comes to a boil, stir occasionally to make sure the milk and cream don't burn.  

Now, kill the heat.  Using a hot pad, lift one side of the saucepan a bit.  Grab your stick blender and put the business end in there.  Blend for several minutes.  You're trying to make it as smooth as possible and get rid of the chunks of onion.

Once smooth, remove the stick blender and sit down your pot.  Put the heat on low this time.  Add the cheese one handful at a time all of the time stirring the soup.  Don't get too excited about dumping the cheese in.  You don't want it to clump together.  It will take a while to melt as little shreds.  Don't make it worse by having the cheese in clumps.

Keep stirring the soup until all of the cheese is melted.  Also, keep the soup from boiling.  If you need to, turn the heat off for a while.  A boiling soup could separate the cheese into curds and whey, then you'll never have a smooth soup.  This step might take longer than you think. 

After you get used to making this basic soup, start experimenting with it.  Add some hot sauce to give it some zing.  Add broccoli to make broccoli cheese soup.  Crumble crispy bacon on top.  Add some sour cream.

Let your mind go wild!!  It's your soup, make it like you like it!!

The Video

Watch my video to get more tips and tricks for this soup.

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Printable Recipe

Cheddar Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 C (114g) Butter
• 1 med Onion, chopped
• 1/4 C All-Purpose Flour
• 3 C Chicken Broth
• 2 C Milk
• 1 C Heavy Cream
• 1 lb Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Put 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add butter and let melt.  Add onion and cook until tender (3-5 minutes)
2. Sprinkle flour on top of onions.  Whisk flour into onions until well blended.  Let cook until flour is done (about 3 minutes).
3. Add liquids while whisking constantly.  Break up any lumps you see.  Let mixture come to a boil, stirring occasionally to keep milk from burning.
4. Remove from heat and blend until smooth.
5. Return to low heat.  Add cheese one handful at a time stirring constantly. 
6. Stir occasionally while continuing to cook until all the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat if you think it might be getting close to boiling. DO NOT let it boil.
7. Plate, garnish, and serve.