Cream of Broccoli & Kielbasa Cheese Soup

• Meat

  • 14 oz Kielbasa, fully cooked

• Produce

  • 16 oz Broccoli florets or chopped broccoli, frozen
  • 1 Onion, small
  • 4 Potatoes, medium
  • 2 sprigs Thyme, fresh

• Canned Goods

  • 2 cups Chicken stock

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1 Salt and pepper

• Dairy

  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup Half-and-half cream
  • 1 cup Whole milk

• Liquids

  • 1/2 cup Water

• Other

  • Thickening (if desired:

Found on bakeatmidnite.com

Description

Ingredients

• 16 oz frozen broccoli florets or chopped broccoli (see NOTES)
• 4 medium potatoes, unpleeled cut in chunks
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tbs butter
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme -OR- ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 14-16 oz fully cooked kielbasa, cut in ¼-inch slices
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Thickening (if desired):
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup water

Directions

• Melt butter in a dutch oven or very large (6 cup) saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent.
• Add the thyme, chicken stock, potatoes and broccoli. Heat to boiling. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are tender.
• Add the kielbasa and heat through.
• Thicken, if desired, by mixing the flour and water until there are no lumps. Stir into soup base. MIXTURE WILL BE VERY THICK.
• Gradually add the milk and cream, stirring to incorporate well with no lumps (if you thickened the soup). If soup is too thick, additional milk may be used to thin. Add salt and pepper to taste at this point.
• Stir in cheese until it melts. Cheese is given in a range--use the ½ cup if you dont want it too cheesy and the full cup if you are a cheese lover.