Broccoli Cheese Soup Pioneer Woman style

I pretty much love any recipe Ms Ree posts.
I was also excited to try and Broccoli Cheese soup recipe that DOESN'T use velvetta.
Why yes, I love the processed cheese spread. But I would like to use more real foods when cooking.

A friend has posted Pollan's Food rules. Wow. They are a great read! I need to try and follow these more. For example. Eat/Cook only foods that your grandmother would recognize as real food. (not exact phrasing) Link to news article-www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/michael-pollan/food-rules-a-completely-d_b_410173.html

Here's the link to PW's soup.

www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/11/broccoli-cheese-soup/


Loved it!
Although I left out the nutmeg, didn't have any. And I used milk instead of 1/2 and 1/2. Didn't have that either. But I had onion! And broccoli! And cheese! And milk! :)

The first PotO Soup cookin day of 2011

BrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRrrrrrr Brr. Did I say Brr?

It's a chilly day. Not chili, I already made that this week.
I'm talking Chilly, Boucshee(MO Family slang for cold), wish you hadda fireplace blazin' kinda day here in my town.

So, a lovely, piping hot, aromatic pot of soup to the rescue.

My compliments to Mrs Ree, Pioneer woman for the recipe. See, since I have a blog I feel I am on first name basis with above said blogger.
Eh, wishful thinking...

Anyways. She rocks!
Recipe found here-

Italian Chicken Soup - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pioneerwoman-full-rss-feed/~3/piDmgZOz4A4/

Here is PW's ingredient list.
Posted from her site.

"By Mrs Ree
Recipe: Italian Chicken Soup
Ingredients

1 box Ditalini Pasta (very Short Macaroni-type Pasta Noodles)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Diced
2 stalks Celery, Diced
2 whole Fresh Jalapenos, Diced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 can (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano
Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
Parmesan Cheese Shavings, For Serving
Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.

Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.

Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.

Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top--the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.

Posted by Ree on September 11 2011"


All in all. This soup is very flavorful and yummy! I wouldn't mind if it was a bit thicker. But gets two thumbs up from us! Happy cooking :)