Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Here in lovely Indiana, the weather is turning a bit cooler.  This week is our Indian Summer, but we've already had the opportunity to use some of our firewood supply. 

One thing we love to eat on cool nights is a good hot soup or chili or stew or, in the case of this post, chowder.  Hubz loves clam chowder, but I am not a fan.  Here's a chowder I can get behind.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups cauliflower, rough chopped
• 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup water
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked bacon, crumbled

Melt butter in large skillet, add carrots, celery and onion and allow them to soften a few minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over top, stirring constantly and cook for 1 minute.  Add milk and water, cauliflower and potatoes.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are fully cooked.  Turn off heat.  Add cheese, salt, pepper and stir until well incorporated.  Allow chowder to cool and thicken for a few minutes.  Sprinkle with bacon before serving.

We had ours in yummy bread bowls from the manager's special bin for 89¢.  I always stop by the manager's special bin when I grocery shop.  You never know what kind of goodies you might find.  These bread bowls had an expire-y date a couple days out, but I tossed them in the freezer and they were good to go when we needed them.

What are your favorite cool night soups?  Better yet, what kind of goodies have you found in the mark-down bin or am I the only one who shops the mark-down bin?



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