Cheddar-Ale Soup

From EatingWell: December 2006 — Subscribe Now!

Our cheese- and beer-lover's potato soup has only a fraction of the fat and sodium of a traditional recipe. We use low-fat milk and only a little oil and keep the flavor strong with zesty, sharp Cheddar cheese. Precooked diced potatoes, which you can get at many supermarkets, keep this recipe super speedy. Regular diced red potatoes also work—you'll just need to increase the cooking time.

READER'S COMMENT:

"I made this with Maudite Ale & Cabot Cheddar and pureed it for a finer texture. I agree that it was quite bland (I did cook the potatoes in salted water). The red pepper and cheese garnish helped a bit, but in the end we added salt...

6 servings, 1 3/4 cups each

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably ale
2 18-ounce bags precooked diced peeled potatoes, (see Ingredient Note)
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

Preparation

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 return 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.
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 Cheddar and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bell pepper.

Tips & Notes

Ingredient note: Look for precooked diced potatoes in the refrigerated section of most supermarket produce departments—near other fresh, prepared vegetables. To make your own, peel 2 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and boil until tender (about 15 minutes).

Nutrition

Per serving: 389 calories; 12 g fat (5 g sat, 2 g mono); 32 mg cholesterol; 50 g carbohydrates; 16 g protein; 5 g fiber; 408 mg sodium; 238 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (34% daily value), Vitamin C (32% dv), Vitamin A (19% dv).

3 Carbohydrate Serving

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