Broccoli Mac & Cheese Soup

This is a pretty quick and easy recipe that I just kind of made up. Use whatever cheeses you like and make it your own, but don't use the pre-shredded junk for this soup! You can use all sharp cheddar if you want, or swiss, or a mixture of whatever you have, or dare I say...velveeta (is that really cheese)?! Whatever your family likes :)

Broccoli Mac & Cheese Soup
1/2 stick butter
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large head of broccoli, steamed (or frozen florets, thawed)
1 32oz. carton vegetable or chicken stock, low-sodium
1 c. heavy cream
3 c. milk
1/4 c. cornstarch
8 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz. gruyere, grated
1 c. elbow macaroni, cooked
Salt & pepper

Place butter in large soup pot. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Saute until veggies start to soften. Add chicken stock, cover and simmer until veggies are tender.

Whisk cornstarch into milk. Add cooked broccoli (steam or microwave covered for a few minutes to soften broccoli), heavy cream, and milk/cornstarch mixture to soup. Stir and bring back to a boil. When mixture starts to thicken, lower heat and simmer until thick and bubbly and broccoli is tender.

With an immersion blender (or in small batches with a regular blender), slightly blend everything together - I like to leave chunks, but you can blend this to the consistancy you want. Add cheeses to soup and gently stir until cheese is melted and soup is thickened. Add cooked macaroni. Taste, and season with salt & pepper.

Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if you want, and serve with some warm bread or rolls.