Yum!

So my friend Melanie has a great blog where she posts recipes that she's tried and love. I'm definitely not nearly the cook/baker she is, but when given the time, I can cook up something good. Anyways, I saw on her blog a quick and easy recipe for Baked Potato & Broccoli soup. It looked so good so I decided to give it a try. It really was super easy and very very delicious! It made quite a bit of soup, too, so I had plenty left over for lunch this week and some to freeze for meals later on, too. The recipe is below, but I found that you don't necessarily need to measure the potatoes or onions out precisely. I definitely had more than 3 cups potatoes and the onion I used was at least a medium size and it was perfect. Like Melanie's recipe I used frozen broccoli and it worked perfectly. I also used corn starch instead of flour, but after googling corn starch vs. flour I found that when you substitute corn starch, use 1/2 the amount. This Joy of Baking site is a great resource for substitutions.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¼ cup all-purpose flour (I substituted corn starch which worked well)

2 (14.5 oz) cans low sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about 1.25 lbs)

2 cups broccoli florets, chopped (Using frozen broccoli was fine)

1 small onion, chopped

1 ¼ cups 2% reduced fat milk (I used skim)

1 (8 oz) block 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (optional)

chopped green onions for topping (optional)

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and onion in a Dutch oven (or large saucepan). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk & 8 oz. of freshly shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top each serving of soup with shredded cheese and green onions as desired.

**It is recommended to use fresh shredded cheese for creaminess and even melting.