Grocery Haul for Two and Broccoli Cheese Soup

Happy Friday! This weeks grocery haul is pretty simple. I didn't need to go to Costco for anything so it was a quick trip to Winco to get us stocked up for the week. 

 

I picked up the regular fruit (oranges, apples and bananas) and a few veggies. I still had lettuce and spinach at home so all I needed were some tomatoes, mushrooms and a cucumber. I also purchased half & half, a box of cashew milk (I love this brand! If you drink nut milks I highly recommend this one, So Delicious is the brand), 2 bottles of Gatorade, a package of cheddar cheese slices and a package of provolone slices, some pepperoni from the deli and a box of store brand pie crusts to make a chicken pot pie with.

Total from Winco and my grand total for this week: 

 $28.00

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Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe was quick to put together and tasted so good. I've mentioned before that we're having cooler weather and the feel of fall is in the air. Soups are perfect for these types of evenings.

I started off with a 32oz bag of frozen broccoli cuts..

I had a little over 3 cups of chicken broth that I had saved from cooking some chicken in my IP. If you don't have this, you can use 3 (to 4) cups of store bought chicken broth or a combo of water and bouillon cubes. 

 

I put the broth and the broccoli in a pot on the stove to cook. I simmered the broccoli until it was fork tender.

While that was cooking I cut up half of a medium size onion and 2 sausage links. You can use whatever type of meat you'd like or this can be made meatless. 

 

I sauteed the onions and the sausages until the onion was soft..

When the broccoli was done cooking I used my hand blender to puree it and then added the onion and sausages...

Now all that was left to do is add some milk and cheese. I did not measure the milk but rather added it until the soup was at my desired consistency. Then I added a couple handfuls of grated cheddar cheese. I'm guessing it was 1 ½ to 2 cups worth. 

 

I heated the soup up on medium heat to melt the cheese. I served it with garlic toast and a salad.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

32oz frozen broccoli cuts

3 to 4 cups chicken broth

1 to 2 T oil or butter

½ medium onion chopped

2 sausage links cut into bite size pieces or your choice of any meat: ham, bacon, chicken or this can be optional and you can enjoy it meatless

Milk, enough to achieve your desired thickness

2 cups grated cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste 

In a stock pot add broccoli cuts and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let it simmer until the broccoli is tender.

While the broccoli is cooking heat a frying pan and add oil. Add onion and sausage links. Saute until the onion is soft.

When the broccoli has finished cooking, remove from heat and puree with a hand blender. You can choose to leave some of the broccoli chunky or puree it completely, whichever you like. Add the onion and sausage.

Add milk a little at a time until the soup is your desired consistency. Add grated cheese, and heat the soup on medium heat until the cheese melts.  Taste and add salt and pepper according to your own taste.  Serve and enjoy!

That's all for this week's Grocery Haul!