Gluten Free Broccoli Cheese Soup

I’ve tried making several cream-based soups into a gluten free version with varied results. Potato flour is the best substitute for regular flour but the soup will have a potato flavor. While I do like a loaded potato with broccoli and cheese, this week I wanted the plain thick creamy broccoli cheese soup without any extra potato or bacon or other stuff.

So what did I do? I did 3 things. First, I checked Cooking Light for a recipe. I added a brick of cream cheese after I pulverized the pot to smithereens using an immersion blender. I had a huge pot of the best broccoli and cheese soup ready for my spoon in 30 minutes.

Broccoli-cheese soup (Gluten Free)

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 carrots, shredded. I cheated and bought a bag of shredded matchstick carrots. I threw some in.
• 1 lb of fresh broccoli FLORETS. This really makes a difference, but if all you have is frozen, it’s not a deal breaker. To get this many florets, I usually buy the already cut up broccoli in bags in the produce section.
• 2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar. I like sharp.
• 1   8-0z brick of reduced fat cream cheese, ROOM TEMPERATURE or softened and cut into pieces.

1. Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender.
2. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.
3. Add milk  to broccoli mixture.  Stir in pepper. Remove from heat.
4. Using an immersion blender,  process until smooth. Heat to med-low.
5. Add cream cheese and cheddar. Stir until completely melted and incorporated.