Cheddar white bean broccoli soup.

I feel like spring recipes are starting to pop up. This is not a spring recipe. I just love making soup because it's so easy to scoop into portion size tupperwares and take them to work. And I know it's still pretty cold in most parts of the country so a soup recipe can still come in handy for some for you, right? Or are you sick of soup? Either way, try this soup now or wait till it gets cold again because it's delicious. The white beans make it sooo creamy without adding any cream. And it's pretty healthy for a cheesy soup, which is always a plus.

What you need
1 small onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
4 cups broccoli florets chopped
1 can white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini)
2 cups sharp cheddar
2 slices American cheese
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

What to do
1. Chop onion, carrot, celery, and garlic into small pieces. Using a food processor is easiest.
2. Melt butter in large soup pot, add veggies, and saute on low heat.
3. Add flour, chicken broth, milk and beans. Cover and cook until beans are heated through.
4. Add broccoli and parmesan cheese and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes.
5. Add cheddar and American cheese and stir well.
6. If you have an immersion blender, blend the soup for a few seconds. If not, pour about half of the soup into your food processor or blender, and puree it. PLEASE be careful working with hot liquids. If you use a blender, blend it at the lowest speed possible and make sure you put a cloth over the lid and hold it down with your hand because otherwise the lid WILL blow off.
7. Then puree the other half of the soup. I don't puree the second half all the way because I like it to be a little chunky, so if you want the soup to be creamy, puree it all the way.

Enjoy!