Macaroni and Cheese Soup

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded American cheese
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 8-oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup frozen English peas

Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add carrot, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetable mixture from heat; set aside.

Combine milk and cheese in a heavy Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until cheese melts. Stir in bouillon granules and pepper. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring well; stir into milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in macaroni, vegetable mixture, corn, and peas; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thoroughly heated.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I had frozen peas and carrots so I used those instead of buying fresh carrots. I have never even seen shredded American cheese in the store, so I used the slices which I have a ton of and just shredded them into a few small pieces by hand and threw them in the pot. I omitted the white pepper because I don't have any.

What I'll do differently next time:
Only the same as above unless I have fresh carrots and then I may substitute them. It definitely didn't make a difference!

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! This recipe was easy and delicious! Brianna loved it too which is always a plus. Come to think of it, there's not really anything she doesn't like so I guess that's not saying much for the recipe. This soup had such great flavor though, and I'm still enjoying it for leftovers and it's just as good! Definitely will make this one again!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded American cheese
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 8-oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup frozen English peas

Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add carrot, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetable mixture from heat; set aside. Combine milk and cheese in a heavy Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until cheese melts. Stir in bouillon granules and pepper. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring well; stir into milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in macaroni, vegetable mixture, corn, and peas; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thoroughly heated.