An Unexpected Chapter

Anyone else love getting cheddar ale soup at a brewpub? I rarely get it because it’s, more or less, like drinking melted cheese, but I love it. I had a craving recently, and I set out to make some.

And then I started finding recipes. That there were large quantities of cheese and heavy cream wasn’t surprising, but just how much cheese and cream was alarming. All the recipes seemed to be written by earnest women in Wisconsin who drink a large glass of milk with every meal and then go to the barn to bench press a cow.

I’m so sorry, Susan. I can’t cook with that much cheese and cream. I like my arteries too much.

Then I remembered how good butternut squash is in mac & cheese and thought it might make for a good soup as well. It’s not diet food by any stretch of the imagination, as there is still plenty of cheese here. However, it does use less cheese than traditional cheddar ale soups and replaces the heavy cream with milk. Also, you are getting so many veggies in this soup.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Cheddar Ale Soup




I make this using Trader Joe’s packaged mirepoix mix to shorten my prep time. The TJ mix, according to Google, is 1/2 onion, 3 carrots, and 3 celery stalks.



Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 1/2 onion, chopped

* 3 carrots, chopped

* 3 celery stalks, chopped

* ¼ cup all-purpose flour

* 1 bottle of beer

* 20 oz butternut squash, cubed

* 32 oz vegetable broth

* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (plus more for garnish, if desired)

* 1 cup milk

* 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

* 4 to 5 cups extra sharp cheddar, freshly shredded

* Salt and pepper, to taste



Directions

1. In a large soup pan, heat olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, and a pinch of salt and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add flour to the veggie mixture and stir for another minute. Then add the bottle of beer to deglaze the pan.

3. Add vegetable broth, sage, thyme, and squash to the pan with another pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is very soft.

4. Turn off heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, puree batches in your regular blender and then buy an immersion blender tomorrow.) Add milk, dijon mustard, 4 cups of cheddar, and pepper.

5. Taste. Add more salt or cheese, if needed.