Soup’s On

A head cold and the fall breeze inspired a soup-cooking kick this week. This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup from Cooking Light looks good and tastes hearty but the Velveeta gave it a strange processed taste. Normally a fan of Velveeta, here I wished I’d used shredded cheddar instead. It was clever, however, to sub milk and flour for cream, but next time, I’m going for full fat, true flavor. There was no fooling this head cold.

Read on for the recipe…

Ingredients

• 1  cup  uncooked quick-cooking wild rice
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2  cups  cubed peeled baking potato
• 3  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
• 10  ounce  light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
• 2  cups  chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and potato; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until potato is tender.

Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk. Add the milk mixture to potato mixture; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in rice, chicken, pepper, and salt. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Yields 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)