Meatless Monday - Cheddar Veggie Soup

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I love soup in this weather, and I love a thick soup that eats like a meal. With grilled cheese, of course! While I'm partial to a tinned tomato soup from time to time, I cannot do canned soup, packet soup, cupasoup, anything of that nature. Not when they taste like cardboard and it's so easy to make your own and freeze for days when you need a little warmth in a bowl.

This, as seems to be the current theme here these days, uses odds and ends of veg. All bound together with a bechamel base to ensure proper creamy, cheesy goodness! 

Ingredients

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped,

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

Whatever else you find in your fridge - I used half a packet of frozen mixed veg that had gone a bit frosty, some leftover mashed potato and some leftover garlic broccoli

1 litre stock

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1.5 cups milk

1 cup grated cheddar

salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Throw in the carrot and cook for a while. Celery is good to add here too.

2. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, the random assortment of veg, the thyme and the stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer.

3. While that is cooking, heat the butter and flour over medium heat. Stir the resulting mix for at least 1 minute to eliminate the floury taste. Add the milk and whisk really quickly for it all to incorporate.

4. Turn the heat to high and continue whisking until thickened. I know bechamel sauces usually say cook over a low heat to avoid lumps etc, but I've never had the patience to and I've never had a problem. If the roux mixes in from the word go and you whisk a lot, you'll be fine.

5. Add the cheese to the bechamel.

6. When veggies are soft, blend with a stick blender until smooth. Add the bechamel and test for seasoning.

As for the sandwiches, I made cheese sandwiches with the butter on the outside. I popped them in the oven with both the top and bottom elements going. If you only have one, then use the griller/broiler option!

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