Beer Cheese Soup with Spicy Homemade Croutons
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This beer cheese soup is seriously so delicious and perfect for a cold weather day. The thick creamy beer and cheese soup is so rich and pairs perfect with load of spicy homemade croutons and thick bacon bits. The beer in the soup makes it so fluffy and it’s packed with 3 types of cheeses. You have to make the spicy homemade croutons. They are just thick Texas toast sliced into cubes and baked with lots of Cajun seasonings, red pepper, and of course, garlic and butter. You will love this recipe, I promise.
This soup is so rich and perfect for winter time. If you’re wondering the purpose of the beer in this recipe, it gives this cheesy soup the most wonderful texture. This is not a cheese sauce or queso! Even though it may seem that way…You’ll take some veggies and saute them in some bacon grease, add in some broth and a can of light beer and let it foam up and cook down.
Then, add in your cream, milk, and cheeses. I used a mixed of Velveeta, mild cheddar, and Monterey jack. You technically could use whatever cheese of your choice. Then make and top the cheese with the spicy homemade croutons. This is the cold weather dish you’ll keep making over and over again.
Equipment You’ll Need
For this beer cheese soup recipe, you’ll need a large pot or Dutch oven. I think mine is 7 quarts. Then you’ll need something to chop your veggies with, maybe some measuring cups and of course a baking sheet to bake the croutons on.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Bacon:
I used a thick-cut sliced bacon. You’ll sauté it in the pot, cook your veggies in the grease, add some bacon back into the soup, then serve it with more bacon on top. The bacon just comes full circle in this recipe.
Veggies:
You’ll need a yellow onion, a few stalks of celery and a large carrot. You’ll need to chop them all up before adding to your pot.
Beer and Broth:
So, I used a light beer for the soup. I think to be exact it was a Michelob Ultra. Then of course I used chicken broth. You could also use veggie broth if you wanted.
Cheeses:
I used a blend of mild cheddar, Velvetta and Monterey jack. You can mix it up if you’d like, but I felt like these three gave me the consistency and flavor I was looking for.
Milk and Cream:
Milk and heavy cream…gotta have them for a creamy soup.
Seasonings:
I actually used a lot of seasonings for this soup. It took me a little while until I felt like I got it right. You can always do that. Add some seasonings until it’s perfect.
Homemade Spicy Croutons:
Then for the croutons, you’ll need Texas toast, a stick and a half of butter and some spicy seasonings. I used Italian seasoning, Cajun seasonings, red pepper flakes and garlic powder.
How to Make Beer Cheese Soup
Step one:
In a large pot, add thick cut bacon cut into one-inch pieces. Cook until done, remove from pot and set aside. Leave your bacon grease in the pot. Add your chopped onion, carrot and celery to pot and sauté until translucent.
Step two:
After veggies are cooked, add your chicken broth, light beer and half the bacon back into the pot and bring it to a boil. The beer will make the soup foam up. Once boiling, turn heat to low.
Step three:
Add in your milk, heavy cream, cheeses and seasonings. Stir until all mixed together. Garnish servings with more of the cooked bacon, green onions the the spicy homemade croutons and enjoy!
Spicy Homemade Croutons
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice several slices of Texas toast into little squares. Melt a stick and a half of butter and add in seasonings. Toss the little toasts in the butter and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle more Cajun seasonings and red pepper flakes over them.
Beer Cheese Soup with Spicy Homemade Croutons
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb Thick Cut Bacon
- 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 1 Large Carrot, Chopped
- 2-3 Celery Sticks, Chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 can Light Beer
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 16 oz Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- 4 oz Velvetta Cheese
- 4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard
- 1 tsp Paprika
- Green Onions (to garnish)
Spicy Homemade Croutons
- 8-10 slices Thick Cut Texas Toast Bread
- 1 1/2 sticks Butter
- 1 tbsp Cajun Seasonings
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasonings
Instructions
- In a large pot, add thick cut bacon cut into one-inch pieces. Cook until done, remove from pot and set aside. Leave your bacon grease in the pot. Add your chopped onion, carrot and celery to pot and sauté until translucent.
- After veggies are cooked, add your chicken broth, light beer and half the bacon back into the pot and bring it to a boil. The beer will make the soup foam up. Once boiling, turn heat to low.
- Add in your milk, heavy cream, cheeses and seasonings. Stir until all mixed together. Garnish servings with more of the cooked bacon, green onions the the spicy homemade croutons and enjoy!
Spicy Homemade Croutons
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice several slices of Texas toast into little squares. Melt a stick and a half of butter and add in seasonings. Toss the little toasts in the butter and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle more Cajun seasonings and red pepper flakes over them.
Before you go…
Before you go, let me know what you thought about this beer and cheese soup recipe? Did you make the spicy croutons? Let me know here or in the comments below. Happy cooking!
