Creamy Broccoli, Potato and Cheese Soup

This soup is on the table in less than 30 minutes with minimal prep if you have leftover mashed potatoes (hey, you can whip up some instant mashed potatoes for this if you don’t have leftovers). It’s creamy, hearty, cheesy and perfect for a rainy night.  You can easily make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken base and skipping the bacon.

Ingredients (serves 4);

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

½ cup diced onion

1 (32 ounce) carton vegetable stock (or chicken stock, whatever)

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1 teaspoon chicken base (optional)

1 (12 ounce) package frozen broccoli

Salt and pepper to taste

½ to 1 teaspoon garlic salt (also to taste)

2 cups processed American cheese, diced into ½ inch cubes

Crumbled bacon for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and fragrant, but not brown. Add in the stock, potatoes, chicken base, broccoli, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup using a hand mixer (gosh, I love that thing!). Add the cheese in handfuls, stirring to melt each handful before adding the next.

Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon.