Five Days of Crock-Pot Cooking, Day 2

The recipe I am highlighting today is another family favorite – “Jalapeno Cheese Soup.” Don’t let the name scare you off.  The jalapeno part is completely optional, and the soup is delicious with or without it.  Our family loves spicy food, so I actually add extra jalapeno.  Just like yesterday’s recipe, this is a super simple ‘dump it in the crock-pot’ recipe.  I usually start it cooking right after breakfast so the veggies can cook all day and get nice and soft.  This makes a large batch.  If you have a crock-pot smaller than 6 quarts, you will want to cut the recipe in half.  Here you go:

4, 12 ounce (approximately) bags of frozen ‘seasoning blend’ (this is a mixture of chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper.  I keep a lot of this on hand in my freezer.  It is such a time saver!  If you can’t find it at your grocery store, you can chop onion, celery, and bell pepper.  You will need 2-3 cups of each.)

1 quart chicken broth, 1 quart water

2, two pound loafs of processed American Cheese (i.e. Velveeta – I use generic)

1 cup jalapeno peppers – the pickled kind in a jar, not the raw ones – chopped fine

Directions:  Dump veggies and chicken broth into crock-pot.  Add 1 quart water.  Cook on high for 6-8 hours. Reduce heat to low, add cheese (cut into cubes first).  Continue cooking for 30 minutes.  Stir to combine the melted cheese and veggie mixture.  Stir in chopped jalapenos.  To serve, ladle into bowls, top with shredded cheese and croutons (we like crumbled chips on top). 

Now, drum roll please ……. the finished product!

Hope you enjoy it!  Tomorrow we are going to do a recipe with an Asian flair!

P.S. – yesterday I mentioned mixing rice or noodles with the sauce and serving it like a casserole.  The rice or noodles would need to be cooked first.  Don’t try to cook it in the sauce.  Leftover rice, egg noodles, or spaghetti work great.