Beer Cheese Soup

I mentioned that I made this soup over the weekend. I think it is such a great recipe I had to share it with all you.

It doesn't require too many ingredients. Not pictured: The beer. I forgot to take it out of the fridge, but I used Blue Moon Belgium Wheat.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 chopped medium sized yellow onion
• At least 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• At least 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (12-ounce) beer of choice (recommended: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Blind Pig)
• 7 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, shredded
• 7 ounces processed Swiss cheese, shredded
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound smoked sausage

Since I am a picky eater I omitted the carrots, celery and smoked sausage. I'm sure they are delicious in this soup, but I love this soup without those things. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly.

Directions

Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Saute until softened. Add flour. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken broth and beer. Heat until it comes to a boil. Slowly add cheese while stirring until just boiling and smooth. Add half-and-half, salt, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until soup has thickened. Cut smoked sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a saucepan. Saute sausage over medium heat until heated through. It will probably take about 5 to 7 minutes. Add sausage to the soup, transfer to a large serving bowl and serve hot.

You guys, seriously. You must make this. It really is THAT good. Creamy, warm, silky smooth, flavorful and comforting. I served the soup with soft pretzels (Kroger brand), but it would probably be good on it's own if you include the sausage.

This is by no means healthy for you. I had to portion it out and I had burned 500 calories that day with P90X so I ate most of my calories Saturday with this dang soup. But it was worth it!