
Ingredients
This delicious and rich meal is comfort food in a bowl. Paired with crispy asiago croutons, it will satisfy your craving for everything cheese.
- ½ medium Onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons Cache Valley® Butter + ½ cup Butter
- 1 lb Broccoli, cleaned, stems peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
- Optional Shortcut: Substitute a 16 oz bag of Frozen Broccoli
- 2 cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes
- Optional Shortcut: Substitute a 16 oz bag of Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns
- 2 cups Milk + 4 cups Milk
- 2 Chicken Boullion Cubes or Chicken Boullion Paste
- ½ cup White Flour
- 2 cups shredded Cache Valley® Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Toppings:
- Crumbled Bacon
- Asiago Croutons
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Asiago Cheese Croutons:
- 6 cups Cubed Bread
- ¼ cup melted Cache Valley® butter
- One clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- ½ cup shredded Cache Valley® Asiago Cheese
- Dash of Smoked Paprika to taste
Steps
- In a large pot, SAUTÉ onion in 3 tablespoons of Cache Valley® butter until almost soft but not browned.
- ADD broccoli and potatoes to the pot. POACH the onion and broccoli in 2 cups milk + 2 chicken bouillon cubes until tender but not soft. Be careful not to overcook.
- In the meantime, make a roux. In another pan, MELT ½ cup Cache Valley® butter. Once melted, WHISK IN ½ cup flour until smooth. COOK on low heat until bubbly. Be vigilant, and stir constantly, as the roux can burn quickly.
- ADD 4 cups of milk to the roux and simmer on low heat until thickened, stirring with a whisk every 1-2 minutes to prevent burning—season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
- ADD the white sauce to the veggies and stir to incorporate.
- REMOVE from heat. Partially PUREE the vegetables and liquid with a stick blender or in batches in the blender. For a smooth soup, blend entirely; for a chunkier consistency, remove 1 cup of vegetables before blending and add back to the soup once done pureeing the rest of the vegetables.
- FOLD in 2 cups shredded Cache Valley® Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese until incorporated. ADD salt and pepper to taste.
- SERVE the dish with crumbled bacon, grated cheese, and Cache Valley® Asiago Cheese Croutons.
Asiago Cheese Croutons:
- PREHEAT oven to 250 degrees
- In a microwave-safe glass bowl, HEAT together ¼ cup butter, 1 clove minced garlic, ¼ cup olive oil.
- TOSS together cubed bread, butter-olive oil mix, and shredded Cache Valley® Asiago Cheese.
- BAKE on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for 30-45 minutes until dry and golden, being careful to move around the croutons every 10 minutes to prevent the cheese from burning.
- REMOVE from the oven and SPRINKLE on smoked paprika at the end while still hot.
- SERVE with creamed soups or on salads. Will keep in the fridge for 1 week.
Recipe Author: Lydia Martinez
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