Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Finally!!! I've made the best Broccoli-Cheese Soup I've ever been able to make in my own home. Believe me, I've been trying for quite some time. Each different recipe I've tried has been good, but never quite hit the mark. This one...the creamiest, cheesiest, yummiest I've been able to find. And it actually only uses 8 oz of cheese!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (16-ounce) package broccoli florets

2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)

Preparation:

Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.
Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed soup mixture to pan.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Information:
CALORIES 203(28% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 15.6g; CHOLESTEROL 24mg; CALCIUM 385mg; SODIUM 897mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.7g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2002