Whenever I return home for a big holiday, I can expect to find two things in my mother’s fridge: an enormous pot of Vermont Cheddar cheese soup and an enormous pan of spanakopita . These two easily reheatable items become lunch for everyone in attendance, often around 16 adults and children total, for the duration of the visit.
This past Christmas was no different: every day around noon, out came the giant vessels along with the plates, the mugs, and, of course, the bread . And no sooner was the soup simmering and the spanakopita crisping was everyone standing around the kitchen counter, mugs in hand, the little ones on stools, clanking and slurping away. It is a heavenly, soul-warming lunch.
This year a number of the children, including my son, gobbled up the soup as enthusiastically as the adults, and upon returning home, he asked: Can you make Yiayia’s Vermont cheddar cheese soup ? Yesterday, when I awoke to -9ºF morning, it was time.
I will not pretend this is a fast soup — there are lots of vegetables to chop and cheese to grate, and it’s critically (*see below) a two-pot process — but it yields a ton: about 6 quarts, and yes, it freezes beautifully!
Yesterday, I made a few small changes to the original recipe : I replaced the pancetta with olive oil, and I used vegetable stock in place of chicken. Friendly reminder: vegetable stock takes 30 minutes to make, and I made mine in the time it took to chop all of the soup vegetables. As I trimmed away carrot ends, celery bottoms, and pepper tops, into the stockpot they went, too.
When I served the soup to my children, who have annoyingly discerning palates — there’s no sneaking anything but Heinz or Hellmann’s by them — I wondered if they might notice the subtle changes to the soup, if they might say something like: It’s good, but it tastes different than Yiayia’s.
Much to my relief they did not. With a loaf of ciabatta by their side, they devoured it, and when my son asked if I could pack the soup in his Thermos for lunch next week, my heart swelled with joy.
As with most soups, this one gets better by the day. And if you’re looking for a Sunday project, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed tackling this one.
PS: 15+ Warming Soups for Winter
How to Make Vermont Cheddar Cheese & Beer Soup
Gather your ingredients:
Then, get chopping. There’s no need to peel the carrots unless they are very dirty:
But do peel the potatoes:
Admire your hard work — this part of the recipe is time-consuming, but with a good podcast streaming in the background, time will fly.
Add the vegetables to the pot with some olive oil and salt:
Stir to combine.
Then sweat them, covered, for 15 minutes:
Add the potatoes and stock to the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potato is soft.
I’m using homemade vegetable stock , which came together in the time it took me to chop all of the vegetables. As I trimmed peppers and carrots and celery, etc., I dropped those trimmings into the pot while it simmered. All trimmings with the exception of the potato peels are welcome to the stockpot.
Meanwhile, grate the cheese. If you have a food processor, use the shredder attachment and run the cheese down the food chute:
Place it in a large bowl and toss with 2/3 cup flour:
Then add it to a pot of hot milk. Stir until the cheese melts and the mixture thickens.
*This is a critical step — you, unfortunately, cannot simply add the milk to the pot with the floured cheese. The soup will never thicken or emulsify properly. Don’t skip this step… I’ve tried!
Meanwhile, add a beer to the soup pot:
Then add the cheese sauce along with the mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce:
Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir frequently at this step while the soup simmers for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
And if you forget to add the thyme earlier on in the process as instructed in the recipe, you can always add it at the end!
Serve the soup with lots of delicious bread. I’ve been making this ciabatta , but my mother’s peasant bread or this focaccia would be great choices as well.
Description
Adapted from my mother and my Vermont auntie Marcy’s recipe. The original recipe, which calls for pancetta and chicken stock, can be found here.
Notes:
Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian, so if you are adhering to a vegetarian diet, omit it, or seek out a vegetarian/vegan variety of Worcestershire sauce.
1/4 cup olive oil
3 to 4 cups diced onions, from 2 to 3 onion
2 to 3 cups diced celery, from 1 small head
3 to 4 cups diced carrots, 5 to 6 carrots
2 to 4 cups diced red bell pepper, from 2 peppers
2 to 3 cups diced, peeled red potato, from 4 to 5
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems
6 cups vegetable stock or water
12 ounces beer
3.5 cups milk, 2% or whole
4 cups grated cheddar cheese, about 1 lb.
2/3 cup flour
dashes Worcestershire, see notes above
dashes hot sauce
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Bread for serving
- Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. When it shimmers, add the onions, carrots, celery, and pepper. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt. Give it a stir. Cover the pot and immediately turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the thyme, potato, and stock, and simmer until the potato is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beer.
- Heat the milk in a separate pot until it just barely boils. Place the cheese in a large bowl, and toss it with the 2/3 cup flour. Add this cheese-flour mixture to the hot milk and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Add the milk mixture to the pot with vegetables and stock. Add the mustard, sauces, and salt and pepper to taste — I add at least 2 teaspoons kosher salt. At this point, it’s important to stir often as the ingredients will try to stick to the bottom of the pot. Simmer gently for at least 10 minutes. The soup will thicken as time goes on — as the liquids reduce and as the potato continues to release starch as it breaks down.
- Taste again before serve with bread.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Whenever I return home for a big holiday, I can expect to find two things in my mother’s fridge: an enormous pot of Vermont Cheddar cheese soup and an enormous pan of spanakopita . These two easily reheatable items become lunch for everyone in attendance, often around 16 adults and children total, for the duration of the visit.
This past Christmas was no different: every day around noon, out came the giant vessels along with the plates, the mugs, and, of course, the bread . And no sooner was the soup simmering and the spanakopita crisping was everyone standing around the kitchen counter, mugs in hand, the little ones on stools, clanking and slurping away. It is a heavenly, soul-warming lunch.
This year a number of the children, including my son, gobbled up the soup as enthusiastically as the adults, and upon returning home, he asked: Can you make Yiayia’s Vermont cheddar cheese soup ? Yesterday, when I awoke to -9ºF morning, it was time.
I will not pretend this is a fast soup — there are lots of vegetables to chop and cheese to grate, and it’s critically (*see below) a two-pot process — but it yields a ton: about 6 quarts, and yes, it freezes beautifully!
Yesterday, I made a few small changes to the original recipe : I replaced the pancetta with olive oil, and I used vegetable stock in place of chicken. Friendly reminder: vegetable stock takes 30 minutes to make, and I made mine in the time it took to chop all of the soup vegetables. As I trimmed away carrot ends, celery bottoms, and pepper tops, into the stockpot they went, too.
When I served the soup to my children, who have annoyingly discerning palates — there’s no sneaking anything but Heinz or Hellmann’s by them — I wondered if they might notice the subtle changes to the soup, if they might say something like: It’s good, but it tastes different than Yiayia’s.
Much to my relief they did not. With a loaf of ciabatta by their side, they devoured it, and when my son asked if I could pack the soup in his Thermos for lunch next week, my heart swelled with joy.
As with most soups, this one gets better by the day. And if you’re looking for a Sunday project, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed tackling this one.
PS: 15+ Warming Soups for Winter
How to Make Vermont Cheddar Cheese & Beer Soup
Gather your ingredients:
Then, get chopping. There’s no need to peel the carrots unless they are very dirty:
But do peel the potatoes:
Admire your hard work — this part of the recipe is time-consuming, but with a good podcast streaming in the background, time will fly.
Add the vegetables to the pot with some olive oil and salt:
Stir to combine.
Then sweat them, covered, for 15 minutes:
Add the potatoes and stock to the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potato is soft.
I’m using homemade vegetable stock , which came together in the time it took me to chop all of the vegetables. As I trimmed peppers and carrots and celery, etc., I dropped those trimmings into the pot while it simmered. All trimmings with the exception of the potato peels are welcome to the stockpot.
Meanwhile, grate the cheese. If you have a food processor, use the shredder attachment and run the cheese down the food chute:
Place it in a large bowl and toss with 2/3 cup flour:
Then add it to a pot of hot milk. Stir until the cheese melts and the mixture thickens.
*This is a critical step — you, unfortunately, cannot simply add the milk to the pot with the floured cheese. The soup will never thicken or emulsify properly. Don’t skip this step… I’ve tried!
Meanwhile, add a beer to the soup pot:
Then add the cheese sauce along with the mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce:
Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir frequently at this step while the soup simmers for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
And if you forget to add the thyme earlier on in the process as instructed in the recipe, you can always add it at the end!
Serve the soup with lots of delicious bread. I’ve been making this ciabatta , but my mother’s peasant bread or this focaccia would be great choices as well.
Description
Adapted from my mother and my Vermont auntie Marcy’s recipe. The original recipe, which calls for pancetta and chicken stock, can be found here.
Notes:
Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian, so if you are adhering to a vegetarian diet, omit it, or seek out a vegetarian/vegan variety of Worcestershire sauce.
1/4 cup olive oil
3 to 4 cups diced onions, from 2 to 3 onion
2 to 3 cups diced celery, from 1 small head
3 to 4 cups diced carrots, 5 to 6 carrots
2 to 4 cups diced red bell pepper, from 2 peppers
2 to 3 cups diced, peeled red potato, from 4 to 5
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems
6 cups vegetable stock or water
12 ounces beer
3.5 cups milk, 2% or whole
4 cups grated cheddar cheese, about 1 lb.
2/3 cup flour
dashes Worcestershire, see notes above
dashes hot sauce
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Bread for serving
- Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. When it shimmers, add the onions, carrots, celery, and pepper. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt. Give it a stir. Cover the pot and immediately turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the thyme, potato, and stock, and simmer until the potato is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beer.
- Heat the milk in a separate pot until it just barely boils. Place the cheese in a large bowl, and toss it with the 2/3 cup flour. Add this cheese-flour mixture to the hot milk and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Add the milk mixture to the pot with vegetables and stock. Add the mustard, sauces, and salt and pepper to taste — I add at least 2 teaspoons kosher salt. At this point, it’s important to stir often as the ingredients will try to stick to the bottom of the pot. Simmer gently for at least 10 minutes. The soup will thicken as time goes on — as the liquids reduce and as the potato continues to release starch as it breaks down.
- Taste again before serve with bread.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from my mother and my Vermont auntie Marcy’s recipe. The original recipe, which calls for pancetta and chicken stock, can be found here.
Notes:
Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian, so if you are adhering to a vegetarian diet, omit it, or seek out a vegetarian/vegan variety of Worcestershire sauce.
1/4 cup olive oil
3 to 4 cups diced onions, from 2 to 3 onion
2 to 3 cups diced celery, from 1 small head
3 to 4 cups diced carrots, 5 to 6 carrots
2 to 4 cups diced red bell pepper, from 2 peppers
2 to 3 cups diced, peeled red potato, from 4 to 5
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems
6 cups vegetable stock or water
12 ounces beer
3.5 cups milk, 2% or whole
4 cups grated cheddar cheese, about 1 lb.
2/3 cup flour
dashes Worcestershire, see notes above
dashes hot sauce
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Bread for serving
- Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. When it shimmers, add the onions, carrots, celery, and pepper. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt. Give it a stir. Cover the pot and immediately turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the thyme, potato, and stock, and simmer until the potato is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beer.
- Heat the milk in a separate pot until it just barely boils. Place the cheese in a large bowl, and toss it with the 2/3 cup flour. Add this cheese-flour mixture to the hot milk and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Add the milk mixture to the pot with vegetables and stock. Add the mustard, sauces, and salt and pepper to taste — I add at least 2 teaspoons kosher salt. At this point, it’s important to stir often as the ingredients will try to stick to the bottom of the pot. Simmer gently for at least 10 minutes. The soup will thicken as time goes on — as the liquids reduce and as the potato continues to release starch as it breaks down.
- Taste again before serve with bread.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2022/01/23/vermont-cheddar-cheese-beer-soup-vegetarian/
This time of year, all I want to eat all day long is soup and bread. No joke, this morning I had a mug of Vermont cheddar cheese soup and a slice of ciabatta for breakfast. That same meal will likely be lunch and dinner today, and I am not the slightest worried I will lose interest in the combination.
When this cheesy pot runs dry, next up will be my favorite lentil soup , followed by this pantry tomato soup , a family favorite. I’ve rounded up all of my favorite soups for winter below along with a few of my favorite breads to eat alongside. And if you’ve yet to make a bread bowl this season, I think it’s time 🎉🎉🎉 Find guidance below.
Happy Souping, Friends.
This post is organized as follows:
- The Soups
- Two Stocks
- Bread for Soup
The Soups
Simple Homemade Potato Leek Soup
Favorite Lentil Soup: One-Pot, Vegan, Completely Delicious
Vegetarian Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
Carrot-Ginger Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk
Vermont Cheddar Cheese & Beer Soup, Vegetarian
Favorite Cabbage Soup, Updated
Classic French Onion Soup (No-Stock)
Super Easy Pantry Tomato Soup
Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Soup
Slow-Cooker Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Simple Black Bean Soup
Marcella’s Stewy White Beans (Brined not Soaked)
A Simple Recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup
Life-Changing Udon Noodles
Chickpea and Escarole Soup
Leblebi (North African Chickpea Soup)
Two Stocks
Using good, flavorful stock will ensure you produce a good, flavorful soup. For many years, I used homemade chicken stock exclusively, but more and more, I find vegetable stock to be just as effective, and in a pinch, I’ll simply use water. Here are the two stock recipes I use most often:
Homemade Vegetable Stock
Simple Homemade Chicken Stock
Bread for Soup
Below you will find recipes for a few of my favorite “soup” breads: ciabatta, focaccia, and peasant bread. And if you love the peasant bread, you will love transforming it into a bread bowl. Pictured below is one of the peasant bread loaves , innards removed and drizzled with olive oil, the cavity filled with spinach-artichoke dip . For soup, leave the cavity empty and toast the croutons and the bowl together for roughly 10 minutes at 450ºF. Fill the bowl with soup out of the oven.
Description
Inspired by a soup served at Gershon’s, a famous deli just down the road. If you have cooked beans on hand and homemade chicken stock on hand, this soup comes together in a flash, and, like most soups, tastes better with time. Here the flavor of the sausage infuses the broth slowly, making it tastier with each passing day.
- 6 to 8 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. escarole, depending on tastes
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
- 2 to 3 cups cooked white beans (or two 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed)
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
- Place stock in a large soup pot and bring to a very gentle simmer. If you have a rind from a wedge of Parmigiano or Pecorino or something of the like, drop it into the stock. Meanwhile, cut the core end of the escarole off and place the leaves in a large bowl filled with cold water. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. Scoop the leaves out and place in a colander. Roughly chop the leaves — you don’t want the leaves to be teensy, but you don’t want them to be so large that they are falling out of your spoon either.
- Meanwhile, brown the sausage over medium heat in a skillet. (No need to add any oil to the pan to brown it — the fat from the sausage should be enough.) Once it is mostly cooked through, transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
- Add 2 cups of white beans to the soup pot. Add a half pound of the escarole to the pot. Pat it down with a wooden spoon so that it’s submerged. Once it has wilted, add the sausage. Stir. If the soup looks like it needs more beans and greens, add them; if you like your soup on the brothier side, let it be. (Note: I add the full pound of greens and 3 cups of beans.) Simmer 15 minutes.Taste the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note: This soup gets better with every passing day. As it sits in the fridge, the sausage (and the Parmigiano rind if you are using it) really flavor the broth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
