Gluten Free Broccoli Cheese Soup

Another cool, yucky day here on Long Island. Might as well make soup! I love soup in the Fall and Winter. Why not, it has everything in it and it's delicious.

I peeled, chopped and washed all the vegetables the night before and put them into plastic bags to keep cold in the refrigerator. The next morning, I prepared the rest of the soup.

Chop florets from broccoli stalks, roughly chop and set aside. Chop broccoli stalks small.

Chop garlic, celery, carrots and red onion.

In a large pot add butter, olive oil and minced garlic (add the garlic to the cold oil and butter). Heat on medium. Allow the garlic to sizzle slightly, you don't want it to brown. Add celery, carrots, onions and broccoli stalks. Add gluten free flour. Season with a little salt and cook until veggies look translucent.. (see video above)

I don't throw out the bags I stored the vegetables in overnight. I rinse them out. (see video above) Then I hang them up to dry. Waste nothing. My grandmother lived through WWII. She learned to make use of everything. I loved hearing her stories about those years while we cooked together. We used to have long conversations as we made homemade ravioli and other meals.

Add vegetable broth, water and additional salt. (see video) Cover and cook. Allow mixture to come to a boil, then cook for an additional five minutes. Add roughly chopped broccoli florets and cook for another five minutes uncovered.

Remove a few broccoli florets and keep aside. (see video) Blend soup mixture until smooth. Place back on low heat. Add cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese and allow it to melt fully. Add milk and mix.

Chop reserved broccoli florets into smaller pieces and add them back into the hot soup for texture. (see video) Serve and enjoy.

I store the soup in Chinese soup containers. It freezes well, so you can freeze it for another day.

This is my Mocha. She kept me company while I was downloading my pictures and videos. She did this herself.

If you are a soup lover like I am, take a look at my other soup recipes. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Vegetable Bean Soup, Pea Soup, Lentil Soup. Visit my YouTube playlist.

I can't give amounts, I can only give ingredients. Most Italians don't cook with measurements, they cook with heart. My mom taught me to add ingredients until "it looks good". So, judge for yourself.

Ingredients:

Broccoli

Gluten Free Flour

Celery

Carrots

Red onion

Garlic cloves

Butter

Olive oil

Salt

Cheddar cheese

Parmesan cheese

Milk

Vegetable broth (gluten free)

Water