Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

I was on a soup kick last week.  (Hey, it's not really spring-like in PA yet!)  I made my creamy potato soup (again), and the next day I decided that broccoli cheese soup sounded good!

This recipe is super easy, and it literally came printed on a box of Velveeta cheese.

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients

• 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 2 T butter, divided
• 2 T flour
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 3/4 lb. (12 oz.) Velveeta cheese product, cut into cubes
• 1 pkg. (10-12 oz) frozen broccoli, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Cook and stir onion in 1 T. of butter in a saucepan on medium heat until the onion is tender.

2. Add the remaining butter and flour.  Cook for one minute or until hot and bubbly, stirring constantly.

3. Gradually add milk, stirring until well blended.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for one minute.

4. Add chunks of Velveeta cheese and pepper.

5. Cook until Velveeta is melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.

And there you have it!

I'll be honest, friends, I know that Velveeta is NOT real cheese, and it's probably not the best thing for you.  It just melts so smoothly, and it tastes so good!  The recipe itself does actually mention using Velveeta Light (which is weird because it came on a box of the regular stuff), and I use nonfat milk to make mine.

Anyway, if you're looking for something warm and yummy on a chilly spring day, this is certainly worth a try! :)

Cheesy Italian Tortellini

Before I share this recipe, I just wanted to announce that I'm doing away with Dinner Time Tuesdays.  It was usually just me linking up anyway, so I've decided that it's no longer a productive use of my time to try to get it to take off as a link-up.

However, today just happens to be a Tuesday, and I just happen to have a recipe to share.  :)

There are days that I'm super glad that I follow Betty Crocker on Pinterest. 

Here's the original pin:

This is how I did it (I pretty much doubled this because I like leftovers for work!):

 

Betty Crocker's Cheesy Italian Tortellini

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 lb. Sweet Italian sausage
• 1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce (My jars are 24 oz.  So I used 1 full one, and about 1/2 of another.)
• 8 oz. canned mushrooms
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pkg. frozen cheese-filled tortellini (16 oz. or more)
• Shredded mozzarella

1. In a skillet, brown beef and sausage.  Drain.



I really liked the combination of ground beef and sausage together.  I don't dislike sausage, but I find the taste can be overwhelming.  This was a great combo!

2. While the meat is browning, spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

4.  When the beef mixture is ready, add it to the slow cooker, and mix.

5. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.

6. Add the frozen tortellini about 30 minutes before serving. 

7.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, if desired.