Beer Cheese Soup

This recipe was originally featured on Craft Beering.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1/2 red or orange bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 cup cream
• 12 oz beer (I use Spotted Cow)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 stalks green onion (optional for garnish)
• Optional add-ins: broccoli, baby potatoes, other vegetables (all diced into bite-sized pieces then boiled until cooked)

Instructions:

1. Prep your additional add-ins if you would like to include them in the soup.
2. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot/stock pot over medium heat.
3. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, pepper, and garlic and saute until softened, stirring occasionally (about 5-6 minutes)
4. Sprinkle the flour and mix well. Cook for about a minute, stirring frequently.
5. While stirring, add the broth, cream, and beer. Mix well and add the seasonings – salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, and cayenne/red pepper flakes.
6. Optional: use an immersion blender to puree the soup or transfer to a food processer and blend in small batches.
7. Add the cheese to the soup base in batches and stir. Place the pot back on the stove. Mix in other add-ins. Heat up over low heat until cheese is melted and blended (about 3-5 minutes).
8. Serve right away garnished with green onion, croutons, more cheese…. however you prefer.

Tips & Tricks:

• I didn’t puree my soup because I was adding in potatoes and broccoli so it wasn’t going to be a smooth soup in the end anyway. I ended up with a cheesy stew/chili consistency and it was delicious.
• I used New Glarus’ Spotted Cow as the beer of choice. The original recipe link has lots of recommendations for other beers to choose from.
• If not topping with croutons, try making some crescent rolls for a side. Or make them in addition to croutons. Carbs are friends in my book.