With temps in the teens and an impending maybe blizzard, soup was really the only way to go last night.  I got a stupid deal on potatoes that I am going to share just because I think it's funny.  And frozen organic broccoli.  So I decided to sort of combine two favorites, Baked Potato Soup and Broccoli Cheddar Soup, into one fabulous bowl of yummy (and low fat) goodness! With plenty of leftovers to fill and warm my belly this weekend.

So first my grocery deals.  I know most of my readers on this blog aren't into couponing.  And if you are, you don't live in the same region.  However, I got tired of having a separate coupon blog.  So for now, I am just going to perhaps make mention of some fun deals now and again on this blog and sort of mildly combine the two.  Bare with me.

This week Price Chopper has 5 lb bags of potatoes on sale BOGO Free.  So instead of $3.99/bag, you get two bags for that price.  But Shop Rite has a coupon in their Sunday insert for a 5 lb bag for just $0.74.  Price Chopper allows competitor coupons.  So I bought two bags of p'taters.  One bag is free with the sale. And the other bag, using the competitor coupon, is just $0.74.  That makes them $0.07/lb.

Price Chopper's higher end store brand, Full Circle, has many of their frozen organic vegetables on sale for $2/bag this week.  I bought three bags totaling $6.  Then used the $3/any three Full Circle products coupon from Price Chopper's Facebook page.  Making bags of organic vegetables just $1/each.

People tell me all the time that using coupons is a waste of time and only for folks shoving their face with processed foods.  Um...obviously I disagree.  (For the record though, I don't always do that well couponing.  It depends on what's on sale and how lazy motivated I am each week.)

Now back to the soup recipe.  Which you should know, cost me about $3.50 to make.  That's not per serving. That's for the entire giant pot.  Because I got the specialty (and organic) cheese on sale plus used a store coupon plus also used a manufacturer coupon for a grand total of $0.19 a few weeks ago.  That was sort of a lucky buy, but even if I didn't catch that sale, this soup is still easily around $6-10 for a big pot.




Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

Ingredients:
* 2-2.5 lbs of potatoes (half a bag)
* 2 bags frozen broccoli
* 1 large onion
* EVOO
* 1 tsp minced garlic (or a few shakes of garlic powder)
* water
* 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
* Rough chop onion.  Saute in EVOO until translucent.
* While onion is going, wash well the potatoes.  I don't peel them for things like this.  But if you have issues with peel, knock yourself out.  Peel away.  Or if you are like me, just skip to chopping them up.  Chop evenly.  Smaller will cook faster and get dinner on your table sooner.  But regardless, chop them fairly close in size.
* Once onions are translucent, add garlic and saute for 1/2 minutes.  No more or it will burn.
* Add potatoes and fill with water to cover.  Cook until tender.
* Add broccoli.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until heated and tender.  It should take a few minutes.
* If you have an immersion blender (I just got a new pink one for Christmas), use that to blend until smooth in the pot.  If you don't have one, do not fear.  You can CAREFULLY (it's hot!) blend in batches in either a blender or a food processor.  Your goal is fairly smooth.
* Add cheddar cheese.  I use extra sharp to get the flavor without needing to really add much fat.  I used no more than 1/2 cup for that entire huge pot.  It was plenty.  But of course you can add or subtract to taste.  Allow cheese to melt and then stir into the soup until you can't see it at all.
* Add more salt or pepper if needed.
* Enjoy!


This is a very simple and filling soup but it really does have a fantastic flavor.  It's such a happy and comforting meal on a chilly night!