Cheddar Potato Wild Rice Soup

We live in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes and 10,000 wild rice farmers (well, not THAT many…but you get the idea). Seriously though, wild rice is a good and tasty grain. My husband and I have both only had wild rice soup from a restaurant, until tonight. The cheddar cheese really adds to this, it’s like wild rice soup meets cheddar cheese soup. Not the most heart-healthy meal, but it’s OK to splurge every now and again. Yum!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup green pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 cups chicken broth, divided
• 4 potatoes, diced into small pieces
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt margarine.
3. Saute onions, garlic, carrots, celery and green pepper.
4. Stir in flour.
5. Add 1 cup chicken broth and stir until smooth.
6. Add remaining chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil.
7. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until potatoes and vegetables are fork-tender.
8. Add milk and heat through.
9. Fold in cheese and stir until melted.
10. Fold in wild rice and serve.
11. Tip: Double the batch and freeze the leftovers, it’s worth the extra time!

We got this recipe from Success Rice. We tweaked it a little though to suit what we had in our house and for a thicker soup. Try serving this with Easy Homestyle Biscuits From Scratch.