Adapted by #FullPlateByJay from recipe by Vivi Taylor found on the Taste of Home website
Thick, creamy, and delicious with lots of veggies. This is a perfect soup to come home to on a cool fall or winter evening. It’s like having a loaded baked potato… combined with broccoli-cheese soup. Serves eight to ten.
Thick, hearty, and soul-satisfying. This chowder is perfect for cool weather. Make a big batch on a Sunday, and then serve it for a fast mid-week meal.
Ingredients
2 cups sour cream (use lite, if you’re counting calories and fat)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash
1 tsp. Tabasco or Sriracha
½ tsp. seasoning salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup lager-style beer or dry sherry (I actually prefer the sherry)
1 (20 oz.) package frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
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1 (12 oz.) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 (12 oz.) package frozen vegetable soup mix, thawed (available at Kroeger stores)
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup green onions, finely chopped
½ cup pepper bacon, cooked crisp and then chopped into crumbles
Instructions / Method
Ready for six-to-eight hours of slow-cooking on the counter before the cheese, broccoli, and soup veggies get added.
In a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker, whisk together the sour cream, flour, and seasonings until smooth. Whisk in the stock and beer (or sherry); and then stir in the hash browns, diced pepper, and garlic to thoroughly combine. Cook, covered, on low until the hash browns are tender — six to eight hours. (You can also cook in your Instant Pot for 8 minutes under high pressure… but watch for scorching).
Stir in the broccoli, vegetable soup mix, green onions, bacon, and 3 cups of cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted — about ten minutes longer. (If the chowder is too thick at this point, simply add more chicken stock, sherry, or milk to achieve your desired consistency).
Serve soup hot, garnish each bowl with remaining cheese. This soup gets better over a couple days, and it also freezes beautifully to enjoy later.
NOTE: To make this a more substantial meal, add 1 lb. of diced smoked sausage or Polska kielbasa — just add it when you stir in the potatoes and garlic.