White Cheddar Bisque

You know what I mean... When you can't seem to get warm, the wind is whipping outside, and the temperatures keep getting lower and lower. It's soup weather.

I'm new to liking soup. A few years ago, I would have turned my nose up at anything that resembled soup. Thankfully I saw the light and realized that soup isn't too bad - as long as it's creamy and thick and essentially like cozy-in-a-bowl (that's not entirely true!).

But when I was looking for a new recipe to try that the girls would like too, I saw a recipe for cheese bisque and I immediately got to thinking. "The girls will eat this if it looks like fondue..." I tweaked the recipe a bit and I was right - the kiddos loved it! #kidapproved

For the most part, this soup is quick and easy. What takes the longest is grating the cheese. I recommend grating fresh cheddar instead of buying pre-shredded cheese because it'll melt better and give you a much better texture. This recipe uses a dry white wine to deglaze the pan, but if you don't want to use wine, use chicken broth for an easy substitute. I used a bright dry Pinot Grigio and it added great flavor with the rich cheese.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 dry white wine

32 oz (1 box) Chicken Broth

4 cups freshly grated white cheddar cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1.2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp white pepper

smoked paprika for garnish

1. In a large nonstick dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and the onion is translucent.

2. Add the flour, and stir continuously

3. Mix in the wine, using a wooden spoon to break up larger bits of flour

4. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and when the broth stops bubbling, mix in the cheddar cheese. Stir until smooth and well combined.

5. Add the heavy cream and stir continuously. Add salt and pepper.

6. Once fully combined, remove from heat and cool for about 15 minutes.

7. Working in batches, blend the soup in a stand blender until smooth and creamy. Fill the blender no more than halfway full and let some steam vent from the lid.

8. Serve while hot, with a sprinkle of paprika on top.

This recipe makes about 6 servings, so we had tons of leftovers. It stores great in the fridge for 2-3 days and heats up great in a microwave safe bowl.

Enjoy!