You will LOVE this Asiago Cheese Vegetable Soup

I love playing around with recipes in the kitchen to see what I can come up with.  Often I end up with big ol' bombs (see the proof in my Friday Food Flop posts), but sometimes, sometimes I nail it, and I must say that this soup turned out really goooood, very creamy and flavorful!  There's a little chopping required, but not too much.  Thankfully I've almost always got one of my helpers in the kitchen with me:  our youngest is getting old enough to chop stuff for me (he's almost ten now, and when he's not chopping he's sharing his strong opinions on this or that spice or herb that would be the perfect addition); and our teenage daughter still loves to be by my side in the kitchen, too.  She and I always have a cooking show on while we get supper ready and she'll even make entire meals for me once in a while now.  I LOVE extra help, especially because I'm usually late getting started.  🙂

Creamy Garlic Asiago Cheese Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 8 Tablespoons pastured butter
• About 3/4 cup carrots, chopped small (I like the vegetables quite small)
• About 2 stalks celery, chopped small
• About 4 green onions, chopped small
• About 10 cloves fresh minced garlic, or 2 Tablespoons dried garlic
• 6 Tablespoons of your favorite flour (I use spelt flour or einkorn flour) and/or 8 ounces cream cheese
• 6-8 cups of your liquid of choice:  chicken broth, heavy cream, and/or milk — the more cream you use, the creamier it will be, obviously.  I used 2 cups of chicken broth that I had in the freezer, 2 cups heavy cream, and 4 cups milk.  (Read about healthy milk options here.) By the way, I now know how quick and simple pressure cooker broth is so I can make some mineral-rich broth more quickly in a pinch.  If you just don't think you will make it or want some on hand for when you're really crunched for time, try this bone broth — it's 100% grass-fed with a bunch of gelatin, organic ingredients, and it's shelf stable!  I love keeping their beef and chicken broth on-hand for quick recipes because they make it just like I do here, and without the nasty msg-like ingredients, additives, or preservatives that store-bought has.  Have you seen “How to make homemade broth for rookies“?
• 2 pastured egg yolks, if desired, for extra nutrition (vitamin K2!) and more creaminess
• 1-2 Tablespoons of gelatin powder for extra protein and beneficial collagen
• Sea salt and pepper to your taste
• 6 ounces Asiago cheese, shredded or in small hunks

Instructions: 

Melt butter in a stock pot, sauté carrots on medium heat until they start to get tender, about 10 minutes.  Add celery and sauté another 5 minutes or so.  Add green onion and garlic, and sauté another 3-4 minutes to bring out the flavors.  Add your favorite flour (see GF options below) and keep stirring for 1-2 minutes, don't let it burn.  Now add your liquid slowly, continuing to stir or whisk it around and it will thicken.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste and the egg yolks, and keep whisking.  To add in the gelatin, first put a little bit of soup in a separate small bowl and whisk in the gelatin powder.  Once it's all dissolved, then stir it back into the soup.  Add in the Asiago cheese and stir to melt.  Serve and enjoy!

Gluten-free option:

To make this Asiago cheese vegetable soup gluten-free, skip the flour in the white sauce, and instead add 8 ounces of cream cheese and stir it in well to thicken and make it even more creamy.  Easy, huh?

And if you're NOT eating gluten-free…

You could serve this with homemade rolls or these homemade crescent rolls if desired, because when you dip them into the soup, you'll be pretty sure that you're in heaven.

Check out the pictures below.  🙂

Let me know what you think!

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