Take the chill off a cold winter's night with this creamy cheese- and beer-lover's soup. Make it a meal: Serve with hearty whole-grain farm bread and a salad dressed with a tangy vinaigrette.

Makes 6 servings, 1 3/4 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably ale
2 18-ounce bags precooked diced peeled potatoes (see Tip)
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced or finely chopped

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beer; bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, broth and water; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash the potatoes with a potato masher to the desired consistency.
2. Whisk milk and flour and add to the soup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 1/4 cups cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bell pepper.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 395 calories; 12 g fat (6 g sat, 1 g mono); 29 mg cholesterol; 52 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 5 g fiber; 387 mg sodium; 274 mg potassium.


Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (35% dv), Calcium (30% dv), Fiber (20% dv).


3 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high fat meat, 1 fat

TIP: Tip: Look for precooked diced potatoes in the refrigerated section of most supermarket produce departments—near other fresh, prepared vegetables.

Substitution Tip: Peel 2 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and boil until tender (about 15 minutes).

I made this last night to serve at our New Year's Eve party. It was a huge hit, even by my non-beer drinking friends. The beer adds a richness that's hard to identify. We loved it. I used "Arrogant Bastard Ale" which I could only find in a big single bottle, so I enjoyed the leftover ale while I was cooking. :-)

Anonymous, Green Valley, AZ

It was pretty good, but needed salt/pepper/cayenne pepper. The mashing in the middle made for longer than 35 minutes, probably closer to 45 minutes.

Emily

Wow, this is the first recipe from Eating Well that was not good. I fed it to the possum in the back yard.

paige, Dallas, GA

This was by far the worst soup we have ever eaten (or tried to eat). All we could taste was flour and potatoes. We tried to salvage by adding generous salt, pepper, and another 1.5 cups of cheddar and it was still not edible. We were very disappointed in this soup.

Angela, Westland, MI

This soup is kickin! I did add more cheese to it (full 2 cup package instead of the listed amount). That made it a lot better than my first taste test. Also I grated pepperjack cheese over the top of it with some peppers and it gave it a nice kick. I will SO make this again! My coworkers sampled and loved it as well!

Ashley, Alabaster, AL

This soup is surprisingly creamy and complex, but it needs salt. If you start with raw potatoes, just parboil them so they can finish cooking with the other ingredients. Chop the onions fine, not coarse, and cook them until they are thoroughly soft, not just somewhat softened, before adding the ale. (You can use the leftover ale in a beef stew.)

Tina, Bellingham, WA