Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup

I made up this recipe last week on a whim - I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. Unfortunately, hubby was sick so he couldn't really taste it, but he said I could make it again when he was better.

This is actually a healthy recipe. The creaminess is more in the texture ... this soup is NOT loaded with creams and milk and cheeses. Or cream of anything soups. As much as I love those things. You could double the cheese in this recipe and you'd still be coming out ahead compared to most "creamy" soups!

Ingredients:
3-4 cups cut up potatoes (I left skins on for added nutrients, your call)
12 oz broccoli (I used frozen)
2 carrots, cut into small pieces
1.5 oz cream or neufchatel cheese (can double, if desired)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
basil
salt
pepper
oregano, optional
milk, optional

Directions:

Cover potatoes and one cut up carrot with water in saucepan, add salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, put butter, onion, garlic, broccoli, and other carrot in skillet. Season with salt, pepper, generous amount of basil, and a dash of oregano, if desired. Cook until just tender then add to saucepan. Add cream cheese. Turn heat down and keep it barely at a simmer (or just keep warm) well - I let mine simmer/stay warm for hours. But you don't have to if you aren't thinking that you want to go ahead and get making supper out of the way in the early afternoon. *grin*

Add milk whenever you want, if you want. Just a splash or more if you don't want your soup to be super thick and chowder like and you don't want to deal with blending a third to half the soup to liquefy it.

Whenever you want, if you desire a soupier consistency, use an immersion blender or transfer a portion of the soup into a blender to liquefy it. Return blended portion to saucepan and bring back up to a simmer before serving.

The soup does not have an intense flavor, but a mild one. Mild doesn't mean bland though - I thought the soup had a pretty good flavor. If you have someone in your family who won't eat without meat in a dish, I bet you could add some ground beef and it would be pretty good. And buttery Ritz are a great table addition for this soup!

What soups do you enjoy?