Rich and creamy comfort food
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 t butter
- 3/4 t salt
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cups milk
- 1/4 tsp hot sauce
- 1 ribs celery chopped
- 1 medium potato peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (i used vegetable broth)
- 1 4-oz jar sliced pimentos (i used ht marinated red peppers) drained and divided, (4 oz) jar of
- 8 oz cream cheese cubed, 8oz
- 1/4 t pepper
- Carbohydrate 16.169883125 g
- Cholesterol 65.9025 mg
- Fat 20.6580528125 g
- Fiber 1.79851876962744 g
- Protein 12.12912125 g
- Saturated Fat 12.3266005 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (274g)
- Sodium 365.01728125 mg
- Sugar 14.3713643553726 g
- Trans Fat 2.71823075 g
- Calories 295 calories
Step-by-step
- MELT butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- ADD chopped potato, milk, and broth; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once potatoes are tender, remove from heat and stir in half of the pimentos. Add Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients, stirring until the cheese melts. Let cool 5 minutes.
- PROCESS mixture until smooth, in batches. Stir remaining half of pimentos to serve.
Managing Dairy and Starch
High heat causes cream cheese and sharp cheddar to separate, leaving a grainy texture on the palate. Remove the pot completely from the heat source before stirring in the 8 ounces of cubed cream cheese and 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Residual heat from the milk and broth mixture provides sufficient energy to melt the solids smoothly. Hot sauce adds precisely 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar-forward acidity, which cuts through the heavy fat content of the dairy base.
Blending and Texture Control
Immersion blenders offer a streamlined workflow, though batch processing in a standard countertop blender yields a silkier consistency for thick soups. Cool the cooked base for exactly 5 minutes prior to puréeing to prevent steam pressure from blowing off the blender lid. Retain half of the drained 4-ounce jar of pimentos, folding them in whole at the end to provide textural contrast against the velvet-smooth purée.
