Picky Family Recipe: Homemade Creamy Broccoli Soup

I don't have a lot of cravings during pregnancy - most of the time I consider it success if I feel like eating at all.  So when I had a ridiculous desire for soup last week, I had to follow through.  I made a Facebook status asking for delicious soup recipes with no small chunks of onions or tomatoes or other vegetables.  I really am not opposed to vegetables, but I have issues with food textures.  Chunky=bad in my world.  Please don't judge.  Andrew feels the same way, so we have a somewhat limited repertoire of family recipes. 

A fabulous friend of mine suggested this Creamy Broccoli Soup that her family enjoys.  It seemed to fit the picky family bill, so we decided to give it a try!

Ingredient List 
slightly modified from the original to accomodate our picky choices!

2 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 c. Carrot, shredded (about 2.5 carrots for me)
1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup
4 c. Half-and-Half or 2 c. Milk and 2 c. Cream
1 lb. Broccoli Crowns, trimmed and chopped
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions
In a large pot, saute onion powder, carrot, and garlic in butter over medium-low heat until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add the soups, half-and-half (or milk and cream), broccoli, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until broccoli is tender (about 15-20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Yields about 4 servings. 


Here's a little peek at the how the creation process went for us here!

Peeling the Carrots

Broccoli, washed and ready to be chopped

Sauteing the first four ingredients.

Mixing in the Soups.

Everything in the pot - just waiting for it to cook!

Mine definitely burned to the bottom of my pan. :(
Lots of stirring after I noticed that!

The finished product, with a little cheddar cheese on top!

Testing it out.

I actually doubled the recipe so that I could freeze half of it to have on hand when Addie arrives in a few weeks.  This made it take somewhat longer to cook the soup enough for the broccoli to be tender.  Lincoln was pretty impatient by the time it was all finished!

Picky Family Verdict - 

Mommy: It was delicious!  I threw in some crackers, sopped up some bread, and devoured it.

Daddy: It was good, but could use larger chunks of broccoli next time.

Lincoln (20 months): Surprisingly...he wouldn't touch it.  I got about two bites in his mouth and he was done.  Maybe it was a fussy night?  I'm going to give it another shot when we thaw some of what went in the freezer.  I'm hoping it was a fluke because this one is definitely staying in our recipe repertoire! 

So, overall - I'd say it was a hit, even with Lincoln's disappointing reaction.  Give it a try and hopefully you will find a new favorite for your family as well!  Make sure you hop over and give Christi some love if you try it out!