Cheddar & Ale Soup with Potatoes {Naptime Entertaining}
When good friends come over we love to entertain with soup. With familiar faces at the table we have no problem slurping away while making conversation. In the winter we prefer hot, substantial soups. These can easily be served with a side of roasted vegetables and sandwich to make a complete meal. The other day I decided to make this soup in order to use up the excessive amount of cheese and beer we seemed to have in our fridge. I still can’t figure out why we had it all, it must have accumulated over the course of a couple of weeks.
I scrolled through several recipes but couldn’t find one that wasn’t loaded up with heavy cream and whole milk, two ingredients I wanted to avoid as much as possible. Finally, I found this great recipe from Eating Well and decided to adapt their idea of thickening the soup with potatoes. Which, coincidentally, I also had in the fridge.
While my daughter was talking a nap (all that sledding is exhausting!) I pulled together the soup and left it right on the stovetop until dinner time. Like any good one-pot soup, this came together very easily and made the house smell amazing all afternoon. For dinner I simply reheated it and we all enjoyed the rich cheddar flavor, that was just the right balance of hearty and healthy. We have friends coming over again next week and I know exactly what I will serve.
Recipe
Cheddar & Ale Soup with Potatoes
Inspired by Eating Well
Ingredients
| 3 | slices bacon, roughly chopped |
| 1 | large onion, roughly chopped |
| 1 | 12-ounce bottle of dark beer |
| 3 | yukon gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped |
| 1 | 14-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth |
| 1 | cup water |
| 2 ½ | cups 1% milk |
| ¼ | cup all-purpose flour |
| 1 ½ | cups low-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese |
Instructions
1. Add the bacon to a large, heavy-bottom soup pot and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for another five minutes, until it is soft and translucent.
2. Pour in the beer and bring the mixture to a boil, boiling for 5 minutes. Then add in the potatoes, broth and water and cover with a lid. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender enough to be speared with a fork. Then, use a potato masher until the potatoes are broken up into very small pieces, or your desired consistency. Whisk in the flour and milk and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese and serve. Or, turn off the heat and cover until the ready to serve.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
This soup is very hot and hearty so I recommend serving it with something lighter on the side like green vegetables and a warm roll.
Naptime Stopwatch
20 minutes to make.
Naptime Reviews
My husband devoured this soup and it kept well for two more nights in the fridge. He snacked on it when he got home!
