Vegetable Chowder with Cheddar Cheese

Must Try Recipes

Soups are a life savior during the cold winter. Even more so if they have a creamy consistency, like this cheese vegetable chowder. They warm me right up and make me feel all cozy. Perfect for a meal before bed!

This chowder contains plenty of different vegetables but I especially love the turnip. I never ate much of it as a child and didn’t even really know how it tastes like. But ever since discovering it in my local health store, I use turnips to give my meals that nice earthy flavor. The cheese binds all the ingredients together to create a perfect harmony of different nutrients. And the butter is the main ingredient behind the creamy consistency of this chowder. I like to savor each bite of this chowder as I eat while it melts in my mouth and fills me up with delicious warmth.

The vegetables in this recipe can be mostly substituted by others if you don’t have everything in your pantry at the moment. I only recommend that you use good quality cheddar cheese, it really makes all the difference!

If you are on GAPS then you can also modify this recipe so that it’s compliant with the guidelines. Replace the potato with broccoli or cauliflower (or both!) and use coconut flour instead of sprouted flour. The cream can be substituted with sour cream or 24-hour GAPS yogurt.

Necessary equipment:

  • a large stockpot OR a slow cooker OR a French oven
  • a sharp knife OR a food processor
  • a wooden spoon
  • a ladle
  • glass jars with lids for storage

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups of homemade chicken stock (how to make chicken stock)
  • 4 to 6 T. of grass-fed butter
  • 6 T. of sprouted whole grain flour (how to make sprouted flour)
  • 1 1/2 cup of raw cream
  • 1 large leek
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1 turnip
  • 1 large potato
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme OR 1/8 t. of dried thyme
  • fresh parsley to sprinkle on top
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 11 oz. of mature cheddar cheese

Instructions:

  1. Prepare all the ingredients. Grate the cheddar cheese. Chop the onion and crush the garlic cloves. Cut the carrots, celery, turnip, and potato into dice-sized pieces. Cut the leek lengthwise and slice into small pieces. Chop the fresh parsley.
  2. Melt the butter in a stockpot over medium heat.
  3. Add the onion and the leek. Cook for about 5 minutes under a cover. Stir from time to time to prevent the vegetables from burning.
  4. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
  5. Stir in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour covers the vegetables evenly.
  6. Pour in about 1/3 of the chicken stock. Keep stirring. Take care to scrape the bottom of the stockpot so that no flour sticks to it.
  7. Bring to a boil and gradually add the rest of the chicken stock.
  8. Add the celery, carrots, turnip, and potato. Add thyme and bay leaf.
  9. Lower the heat and put a lid on the stockpot. Keep simmering for about 30 to 40 minutes while occasionally stirring.
  10. The vegetables should be tender by now. Remove the bay leaf and fresh thyme branches.
  11. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if desired.
  12. Add grated cheddar cheese gradually. Stir constantly after each added batch. Do not add more cheese until the cheese inside the soup has melted.
  13. Remove from heat.
  14. Add the cream and keep stirring until it becomes warm.
  15. The chowder is now ready! Serve with fresh chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

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