Some months ago, a reader wrote chastising me for not printing more low-calorie recipes. The reader was justified in doing so, because it seems that many of the recipes I receive are not very low in the number of calories per serving. Today’s is no exception. With the butter, cheese, and half-and-half, it is a rich mixture. Use moderation; eat one serving, not the whole pot.
The recipe is for Cheddar Soup, which I found in the cookbook “Taste and See That the Lord is Good,” published by Hillview Baptist Church, Graniteville. The book was sent to me by Pat Couch Harris, whose recipe for Cranberry Salad I used some time ago.
The recipe is from Patti Knight of Graniteville. She and her husband Ron are members of Hillview Baptist, where Tim Smart is the pastor.
Patti – who works with the Gregg-Graniteville Foundation, which provides grants for scholarships and various humanitarian institutions – and Ron have been members of Hillview about seven years or so. The Knights are active in their church duties. Ron is a deacon, and Patti is a joint teacher of the College and Career Sunday school class, the church clerk, a member of the finance committee and is in the choir. They have four children and 11 grandchildren.
Patti got the recipe about 20 or so years ago when she worked at an elementary school in Atlanta. The teachers and staff would have meetings, and one of the teachers brought soup made by this recipe. Patti has used it since.
Because it is so hearty, she says that serving it with crackers or bread and a salad makes a meal. It also keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days. If, after adding the half-and-half, the soup is a little thicker than you want, she suggests adding a small amount of milk.
Thank you, Pat, for sending the cookbook, and thank you, Patti, for sharing the recipe with us. It is a good recipe for a cold, rainy day lunch or light supper – and if you make it in the morning before church, you will have a warm, hearty, and tasty dish waiting for you for … Sunday Dinner.
Cheddar Soup
1 cup sliced cauliflower
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup coarsely grated carrots
½ cup chopped onion
8 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ pound diced cooked ham
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash garlic powder
1 quart half-and-half
Sauté each vegetable separately in 2 tablespoons butter or margarine until tender and set aside. Cut the ham into a dice and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the water to boiling. Mix the cornstarch with the shredded cheese and add the cheese gradually to the water a little at a time, stirring constantly. Heat until the mixture is smooth and melted. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the vegetables to the soup and then the diced ham. Heat thoroughly. Add the half-and-half until soup is of desired thickness. If more ham is preferred, you may use ½ pound.
*Pattie included this in her recipe: “Recipe note: For the cheese lover! This is a great soup!” She was right.