It can be very pleasant to enjoy a mug or bowl of soup on a cold day and soup can be a drink or a meal in itself. There are lots of types of soup recipes to choose from and some people prefer thin, watery types of soup and others like rich, creamy soups.
How to Make Soup Creamy
The obvious answer to the question of how to make soup creamy is to add cream but that is not the only way. If you want to add a touch of creaminess you can use milk or Half & Half instead of cream.
Adding cheese can also enhance the creaminess factor. Adding a splash of milk to a chicken soup recipe or pumpkin soup gives it a richer flavor without adding a lot of calories.
A lot of cream soups are pureed in a blender or food processor because a thick soup does not need chunks of vegetables, fish or meat for texture. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but you can add texture and color to a cream soup with the garnishes.
What about a creamy pumpkin soup recipes for example? Imagine a bowl of bright orange-colored pumpkin soup garnished with a swirl of cream and a handful of chopped scallions? This is a delicious meal with a perfectly balanced flavor and appetizing appearance.
Recipe for Cheddar and Broccoli Cream Soup
The following recipe makes a deliciously thick and flavorful cream soup recipe. Half & Half is used to thicken it up and the onion, broccoli and carrots are nutritious and tasty. Sharp cheddar cheese adds to both the flavor and the creaminess. This tasty soup is based on chicken bouillon. For a vegetarian soup you could substitute vegetable bouillon if you wanted to. This soup makes enough for four small servings or two big ones.
What you will need:
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups chicken bouillon
2 cups Half & Half
1/4 cup butter
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup julienne-cut carrots
1/2 onion, chopped
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and black pepper, to taste
How to make it:
Melt the butter in a small pan, and then saute the onion until it is tender. Transfer the onion to a plate using a slotted spoon. Pour the butter into a stockpot. Whisk it for 4 minutes, then gradually and the Half & Half and keep whisking the mixture. Stir in the chicken bouillon and keep whisking.
Turn the heat down to low and add the onion, carrots and broccoli. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes, and then add salt and black pepper to taste. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until it is smooth, and then put it back into the stockpot. With the heat on low, add the cheddar cheese and stir in the nutmeg. Serve this cream soup recipe hot with bread for dunking.