Broccoli Cheese Soup (version 2)

I made broccoli cheese soup for dinner last night and now that I am sitting at my computer I realized that I already posted a recipe for broccoli cheese a couple of years ago. I was going to just skip the post all together but I realized this recipe is a little different from the first one. Soup is by far my favorite food to make and enjoy and I rarely follow a recipe. What makes this version special is that is more nutrient packed since I "snuck in" pureed squash. A couple of months ago I read Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. It is a smart book - puree a bunch of vegetables and then add them to regular recipes. I can't say I loved all of her recipes (chocolate chip cookies with garbanzo beans was an epic fail!) but I still like her concept. I have a freezer full of vegetable purees now and add the spinach to my marinara sauce, beets to our pancakes, squash to our macaroni and cheese, etc. I'm not going to lie, my picky toddler only ate two bites of the soup, but the three adults at the table loved it so I am declaring it a success!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 bunches of organic broccoli, trimmed to 1" pieces
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbls butter
1 can chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup pureed squash
1 block cheddar cheese, shredded*
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 1/2 cups half & half
2 Tbls flour
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 splash of worchestershire sauce

In a sauce pan, melt butter and add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add chicken stock and squash and bring to a bowl. Add broccoli and cover to simmer for 5 minutes. In a small bowl or cup add the flour and 1/2 cup of the half & half and whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to the soup, stirring to prevent clumps. Add cheese and worchestershire sauce and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with additional shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

*I recommend using a block of cheese since the pre-shredded has a powdery coating which can prevent smooth melting for this soup.