Cream of Cheese Soup
Submitted by pet_tastic
Cream of cheese soup with sharp cheddar, white wine, and half-and-half. Silky, boozy, and ready in half an hour with a paprika-dusted finish and crouton crunch on top.
YIELD
3 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minCream of cheese soup is the kind of bowl that makes you forget about fancy lunches. Sharp cheddar spread melts into half-and-half with softened scallions and celery, then a splash of dry white wine wakes the whole pot up and cuts the richness before it turns heavy.
A pinch of nutmeg is the sneaky ingredient here. It doesn’t taste like nutmeg in the finished soup, it just rounds out the cheese and keeps it from tasting flat.
Sweat the onions and celery slowly in butter until they go soft and sweet, not browned, because any color there will muddy the pale gold of the soup. Once the cheese goes in, keep stirring constantly so it melts smooth instead of clumping on the bottom.
Pro Tips
- Buy cheese spread in a tub, not a jar of processed dip. The emulsifiers in spread are what give this soup its velvet texture.
- Boil for a full minute after the wine goes in to cook off the raw alcohol edge.
- Garnish with smoked paprika instead of sweet for a deeper, toastier finish.
- Homemade croutons from stale bread beat store-bought every time here.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Cook and stir onions and celery in butter until onions are tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in water, half-and-half, cheese spread, instant bouillon and nutmeg.
Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; stir in wine.
Heat to boiling.
Boil and stir 1 minute.
Sprinkle each serving with paprika and garnish with croutons.
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