Cheese and Tomato Soup

I ran across one of my mom’s old recipes (yeah, I’m doing that a lot lately) for Cheese Soup and thought I would put a twist on it by adding tomatoes. Because the flavoring is so simple and straightforward here, you can taste the carrots, the cheese, the tomatoes, everything!

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

1 large carrot, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups vegetable broth

¾ pound sharp American cheese, diced

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until they just get tender, but not brown. Stir in the flour for 2 minutes and then add the milk and broth. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring often. Stir in the cheese in portions, stirring each portion until it melts completely before adding the next. Crush the tomatoes in the can with a wooden spoon and add them to the pot. Cook for about 10 minutes and serve hot.