Broccoli Cheese Soup Sans Guilt

Super simple broccoli and cheese soup with NO CREAM, NO BUTTER, NO FLOUR because you simply don't need it!  Delicious.  Somewhat time consuming to make but most of the time you are waiting so you can do other things. You could also sub some cauliflower into this recipe to mellow the broccoli flavor...

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of broccoli (about three stalks)
• 1 medium onion, sweet or red
• 1-4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1 box or 2 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 1/2 block of sharp cheddar (add to taste)
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• olive oil to coat and saute

TOOLS

• knife and cutting board
• gallon zip lock bag (optional)
• foil
• baking pan / roll pan
• stock pot
• immersion blender (or regular blender)
• cheese grater

PREP the GOODIES

1. Preheat oven to 400 and rough chop the broccoli into small (1 inch) size pieces
2. Pour some (1 Tbsp) olive oil into a gallon ziplock bag, add broccoli pieces and shake to coat with the oil, you don't need much!
3. Cover a baking pan with foil and place the broccoli pieces on top
4. Cover broccoli with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes
5. After 15 minutes remove the foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes until broccoli starts to brown
6. Meanwhile, heat stock pot with enough olive oil to coat the bottom adding the onions and sautéing until soft
7. Add garlic and cook for one minute before adding the roasted broccoli and stock
8. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until broccoli is fork tender
9. Remove from heat and use immersion blender to puree soup
10. Add shredded cheese to taste, I recommend tasting the soup before adding any cheese so you know where you are starting. One or two handfuls should be plenty, sharp cheddar has a lot of flavor so you don't need much!
11. Serve and enjoy, store leftovers in fridge for up to a week. 
12. Freeze in small tupperware portions if you like, thaw in fridge for two days before reheating.