BROCCOLI & CHEDDAR BAKE

From: www.abeautifulmess.com

Whoever invented soup was a genius. I hope they somehow monetized the whole idea for themselves because they deserve it. 

Do you know what soup is? It's regular food, cooked until soft, then blended up (sometimes super smooth and sometimes left chunky). That's it. They took good food and blended it up. Made it slurp-able. You can transport it in a thermos. It's food they serve you as a course before other food at a restaurant. 

The whole thing is baffling really. And I am totally on board with it. I l-o-v-e soup.

I am a bit partial to broccoli cheddar soup. I don't know if I would go so far as to say it's my favorite, but it's definitely up there.

This is broccoli cheddar soup but with a bit of a twist. It's got dumplings/biscuits baked into it. So it's kind of a soup, pot pie hybrid thing.

And if you don't like the idea of bread baked into your soup... dude. What's wrong? What happened in your life that this doesn't excite you? I mean, I guess we can still be friends but, like, I bake bread into soup and you're apparently a food-hating monster, so I don't know how good of a friendship it's gonna be.

Overreacting? Me? Never.

Broccoli & Cheddar Bake, serves 3-4

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 broccoli florets, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
biscuit mix (I used Bisquick, which required I add water to the mix. Check yours for additional ingredients you may need.)
salt + pepper

First up, prep all your vegetables as prompted in the ingredients list. I generally like to do all my prep work at the same time before I start cooking. This ensures that I won't be cutting up something super quickly, hurrying because something else is almost done cooking. That's a good way to cut yourself unless you feel like you already have Iron Chef type knife skills. 

In a large sauce pan or pot, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a couple minutes until they begin to soften. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to form a thick paste. 

Pour in the first cup of stock and whisk until you've created a gravy-type consistency. Then add the broccoli, garlic, remaining stock and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir until well combined and the cheese begins to melt. If you want to use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the mix, do so at this point, or you can leave it chunky. Up to you.

Mix the biscuit mix according to the package directions; I added 1/2 cup cheese to my mix to make cheddar biscuits.

Pour the soup into a casserole pan, sprinkle on the remaining cheese, then drop the biscuit dough on top. Bake at 450°F for 15-18 minutes.

If you'd rather bake the biscuits separately and just serve them alongside the soup, you can. You can just use the soup recipe and ignore my advice about baking the biscuits on top. Whatever.

This makes an awesome winter dinner option. Try it. Bake the biscuits on top. Do it. xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.