Quick and Easy Recipe: Broccoli Potato Cheddar Chowder

If you like a creamy, cheesy chowder, you will love this broccoli potato cheddar chowder. It is, like all of my recipes, quick and easy. However, making a cream soup of any kind is one of those things that require a bit of "eyeing it" as my mother-in-law used to say. Basically, you will add enough milk to get a soup, and you can add more or less to suit your tastes.

This is so good, and as fall in Northeast Tennessee gets in full swing, this will be a great, cozy dinner. Be sure and save some to take to work tomorrow!

Quick and Easy Broccoli Potato Cheddar Chowder

Ingredients:

• Frozen Broccoli: 2 bags
• Baked potatoes: 4
• Margarine or butter: ½-¾ cup (You can get by with the lesser amount. I used ¾-cup Smart Balance to make a lot of chowder.)
• Corn Starch: 4 Tablespoons
• Lowfat Milk: approximately 1/3 gallon
• ½ medium onion
• 16 ounces cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Bake the potatoes in the microwave. Remove peeling and cube.
2. Cook broccoli in a covered microwaveable dish with only 2 Tablespoons of water until tender, around 8 minutes.
3. Place margarine in a large Dutch oven on low heat.
4. Add chopped onion and allow to cook until tender, but not dark.
5. Add broccoli and potatoes.
6. Pour enough milk to cover the contents.
7. Whisk cornstarch in ¾ cup of cold water and pour into soup.
8. Stir Well.
9. Add cheese, either cubed or shredded.
10. Add salt, pepper, and some seasoning salt, if desired.
11. Continue to stir, and as the contents heat, the chowder will thicken and the cheese will melt.
12. Add more milk to get it to the consistency you want it. You should have a large pot of broccoli potato cheddar chowder.
13. Serve with croutons.

Macado's in Bristol
If you do not want to go to the trouble of cooking tonight, you can get a good bowl of broccoli cheddar soup at Macado's in Bristol, Tennessee. It is located on State Street in Downtown Bristol, and it has quickly become a favorite gathering place for friends.

This soup is a favorite, and almost half the people eating with my party at Macado's the other night ordered this soup! It is served with a big piece of toasted cheese bread on top of it.

This article was originally published in my Knoxville Cooking Examiner Column in the Knoxville Examiner.