Cheese Vegetable Soup

This cheese vegetable soup is the kind of bowl that warms you from the inside out on a cold day. Diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onion simmer until tender in a chicken bouillon broth, then milk and a full pound of Velveeta cheese transform the pot into something thick, creamy, and deeply satisfying.

Velveeta is the right cheese for this job. It melts completely smooth without breaking or turning grainy, which is exactly what you want in a cheese soup. Sharp cheddar or other natural cheeses can separate when heated in a thin broth, giving you an oily, clumpy mess. Velveeta just dissolves into silk.

The flour shaken with a bit of milk before adding creates a slurry that thickens the broth base before the cheese goes in. This gives the soup body so the cheese has something to melt into rather than pooling at the bottom. Without that thickening step, you’d have cheese floating in thin vegetable broth.

Simmer the vegetables until the liquid reduces before adding the milk and cheese. Reducing concentrates the tomato and vegetable flavors so they hold up against the rich cheese rather than getting drowned out.

Kitchen Tips

• Shake the flour and milk in a jar with a lid for a lump-free slurry. Whisking in a bowl works too, but shaking is faster.
• Cube the Velveeta small so it melts evenly. Large blocks take longer and can scorch on the bottom while you wait.
• Keep the heat low once the cheese is in. High heat makes Velveeta turn stringy and thick.
• Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers for dipping.

Variations

• Add a can of diced green chiles for a Tex-Mex-flavored cheese soup.
• Stir in a cup of broccoli florets with the carrots for a broccoli cheese variation.
• Use diced potatoes instead of tomatoes for a less acidic, creamier version.