I live in Wisconsin. Beer-cheese anything should be our official state food, right? Beer; cheese; what’s not to love. Oftentimes beer-cheese soup is simply a hearty starter, but I prefer to make one-dish meals as often as possible and therefore pump all soups full of enough stuff to make them a main dish. You certainly could puree this soup at the end if you’d like, but I never feel satisfied without actually chewing something.
I promise you absolutely cannot taste the pumpkin in this. No doubt you could use any kind of cooked winter squash and it would be completely undetectable. It’s loaded with vegetables, but even the pickiest person won’t find them offensive if they love beer and cheese! Served with homemade bread for dipping, nothing else is needed to make a meal.
Beer-Cheese Soup
5 to 6 dinner-sized servings
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 3 large or 5 medium potatoes, cubed (unpeeled)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 to 2 cups other veggies as desired (shredded cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, green peas, brussels sprouts, etc. – I added the thick stalks left from a head of lettuce after I tore off the leaves for salads)
- 1 to 3 cups beef or pork stock, depending on how thick you like your soup (I used three cups and it was a little too thin for my liking, so I ended up adding a few tablespoons of arrowroot powder to thicken)
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 bottle beer of choice
- 1 cup (or more as desired) cubed naturally-cured ham
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Black pepper to taste AND a small pinch of turmeric
- 3 to 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Melt butter in large pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, potatoes and cabbage (if using). Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining vegetables, stock, pumpkin puree, and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender (cover if using less stock; keep uncovered if using more). Add ham and slowly stir in cream, salt, black pepper, and turmeric. Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir until completely melted. Heaven in a bowl, my friends.
(**Shared at Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and Sunday Night Soup Night**)
You’re making me hungry! This is definitely getting bookmarked!
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Thank you! I hope you like it as much as we did. I still have some bottles of beer left and just might have again this week!
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Wow, I’ve never heard of beer cheese soup, but looks good! I’m hosting a weekly blog carnival specifically for soups, stocks and chowders, every Sunday! I would love it if you would come over and post this recipe. Here’s a link with more information:
http://easynaturalfood.com/2011/10/17/introducing-sunday-night-soup-night/
I hope to see you there!
Debbie
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I often don’t go online on Sundays, but this may give me a good reason to! 🙂 I will check it out!
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I’m definately going to make this recipe soon! Be proud of the fact that you rescued me from my indolence~~at least a little. You are performing a great service with your Wickedly Wholesome pages.
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Beer cheese soup….yum. Comfort food!
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Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with Sunday Night Soup Night! I’ll be hosting weekly through fall and winter, so I’d love to see you again with your next soup/stock/chowder recipe.
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