I may have relocated down 'South' last month from our previous home in the North, but it seems we brought some cold weather with us! And to add insult to injury, our heat went out last Friday night and I've been doing everything short of bribery to get the service guy to come out here and fix it! They do things differently in the South, that's for sure. I'll just leave it at that.
Our family loves creamy soups and this is one of the many that I have that I 'play' with the recipe depending on what we have on hand. I expect, and hope you will too! One of the best things about this soup is using different cheeses to give it a different subtle flavor. I like to add any smoked cheese we have to it but this time around I also left out the salt and pepper and instead, used grated Beecher's Peppercorn Cheese (Marco Polo) from Seattle's Pike Place Market. Delicious!
Cream of Spinach Soup with Cheese
1 - 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 medium sweet onion or 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
3 T butter
5 - 6 cups chicken broth
1 c cream (or if you only have milk, mix in 2-3 T flour and whisk well before adding)
1/4 t lemon juice
2-3 oz. cubed Velveeta (thickens, adds a hint of color and creamy texture)
3 oz. grated smoked Gouda or cheddar (the hint of smokiness with the spinach is fabulous!)
2-3 oz. grated Peppercorn cheese (this eliminates the need to add pepper to season too!)
Tabasco sauce (just a dash or two!)
Cook the spinach in the microwave (or a pan) and drain well. (See the photo below - I cook it in the box, squeeze it out flat over the sink and tear the box over the pan to let the spinach out - quick and easy!). Cook the chopped onion in butter over medium high heat until translucent. Add the broth (use chicken bouillon cubes with water if you wish!). Add lemon juice and a couple dashes of Tabasco sauce. Add spinach. Add cream. Heat through (do not let it boil after you add the cream). Add the cheese, stir until melted. Serve. Goes great with a hearty bread on a cold winter night.
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| I cook the spinach in the box and squish it flat to drain |
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| grated cheese ready for adding to the hot soup |
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| Add some toasty bread and enjoy! |
