At our church we like to do activities to bring the neighborhood together. Last week our ward had had a Chili and Soup Cook-off. This is the High Counselor Choice Award winning Broccoli and Cheese Soup with Bacon from the cook-off! I won a gift certificate for frozen yogurt. Good times! I almost didn’t add the bacon in the soup but my husband said I should. I’m glad I did because the bacon is the only reason why this soup won. HAHA! 🙂

Sorry my picture doesn’t actually have bacon in it… that soup got all eaten before I took a picture of it.

I modified a Broccoli and Cheese Soup Recipe off allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion diced
• 1 pound fresh broccoli head, no stems
• 4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
• 1 pound velveeta cheese (original) cubed
• 2 cups milk
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 2/3 cup corn startch
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 package of raw bacon
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a frying pan cook the bacon on medium-low heat until crispy. Drain excess oil when finish and pat bacon with paper towel. Chop the bacon strips into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
4. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into cold water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.
5. Add the bacon bits and shredded cheese on top at the end.