Tag: comfort food

Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Cream Soup

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Another one I wish I’d been more diligent on taking photos. This soup is comfort food at it’s best with more flavor than a mouth should be allowed to have. It is SO GOOD. I made it for my book club and it was gone faster than it took me to type this up (aka, it was a big hit). I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
  • 2 Tbl oil, divided
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
  • 3 cups stock / broth of your choosing (I used the last bit of my turkey stock from last year’s Thanksgiving turkey)
  • 1.5 cup aged cheddar, shredded
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Tbl whole grain mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Toss the broccoli florets in 1 Tbl oil along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast until lightly golden brown, about 25 minutes.
  3. Heat the other 1 Tbl of oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add garlic & thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  5. Add the broth and broccoli, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.
  6. Mix in the cream, cheese and mustard. Let the cheese melt and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor or blender and enjoy!

 

OPTION: You can reduce fat by using milk or cream instead of heavy whipping cream. You can make it Paleo by using canned coconut milk instead of cream/milk also.
OPTION: You could garnish this with crumbled bacon or diced ham, too, for some extra flavor kick!

Kielbasa, Bacon & Cabbage soup

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This. Is. Amazing. End of story.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 slices bacon, chopped
  • 16-24 oz of Kielbasa (I used 24oz b/c the Organic pork sausage I bought came in 12oz packages)
  • 1 small head of organic chopped cabbage (about 6 cups)
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • minced garlic cloves (I used about 5)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbl fresh thyme
  • 6 cups chicken broth (I had leftover turkey stock from last year so I used that!)
  • Freshly grated Parmesan for sprinkling (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a stockpot over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon onto a paper towel lined plate or, as we do in our house, a paper grocery bag!
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  2. Add sliced kielbasa and saute until nicely browned.
  3. Add onion and cabbage and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
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  4. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, cooking 1-2 minutes more.
  5. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste (I added another teaspoon of salt)
  6. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan (optional)

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NOTE: The bacon I used created A LOT of grease. I poured about half out but don’t be surprised as you do want to keep about 1/4 a cup of bacon grease in  your pan for the rest of the recipe. If your bacon creates more than that, you are not obligated to throw any out, just be aware it will make it more rich (not necessarily a bad thing!) 🙂

NUTRITIONAL STATS for 6 servings, using 1lb sausage

321 cals, 21g fat, 8g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 17g protein