This White Cheddar and Ale Soup is one of those meals that make my husband feel loved. So loved in fact that he even offered to do the dishes! I don't know if it was the smell of bacon and garlic that filled the house or because it only took me a total of 30 minutes from the time I offered homemade soup for dinner to the time I put it in front of him. Either way, this soup recipe is a keeper!
Simply fry some bacon.
Throw some veggies in a pot.
Sprinkle in some flour.
Add beer.
Then add chicken stock.
Stir in cheese and spices.
Blend.
Serve!
Ingredients:
4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
½ medium onion, minced
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into pieces
1 medium carrot, sliced (or a handful of baby carrots sliced)
1 small stalk celery, sliced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bottle light-coloured ale (I used the new Rickards Oakhouse Winter Lager)
1 cup chicken stock (loving the new Campbell’s Stock First)
2½ cups milk or cream (I used 2% milk)
1 bay leaf
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups old white cheddar cheese, cut into chunks
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In heavy saucepan, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp (approx. 5-7 minutes) then remove bacon and place on paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
Add the onion to the pot (with the bacon grease still in it!) and cook until softened (approx. 3-4 minutes).
Add the potato, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook approx 1-2 minutes then add the flour and stir to coat and cook until mixture begins to brown (approx 2-3 minutes).
Slowly whisk in the beer, chicken stock and milk.
Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are softened/cooked through (approx 7-10 minutes).
Remove from the heat. Add the cayenne, thyme and cheese and stir until the cheese melts.
Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Using an immersion/hand-held blender, carefully blend soup until all large vegetable chunks are pureed (Note: if you don’t have a submersion blender, you can pour soup into a food processor—careful, it’s HOT!).
Stir in bacon, salt and pepper (to taste) and serve immediately with warm crusty bread.
PS: Looking for other yummy soup recipes? Try my Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup, my Slow Cooker French Onion Soup or my Dad’s Two Potato Soup.
Adapted and Canned Soup Mom-ified from Brown Eyed Baker.
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