Cheese soup!
When the mercury dips, our craving for comfort food rises. And nothing says comfort food quite like soup. But this is Wisconsin after all. So, let’s rephrase that to: Nothing says comfort food quite like cheesy soup. “People like cheesy soups because it’s familiar. Cheese isn’t something you have to explain to most people,” says Dave Jurena, owner of The Soup Market. “Think about all the forms you like cheese in: pizza, a charcuterie board, a dipping sauce for pretzels. If you put it in a soup, that’s just one more delivery vehicle for people to eat cheese.”
When Jurena first opened The Soup Market with his business partner, Tim Talsky, in Bay View in 2004, they started making 20 to 30 gallons of soup a day. Seventeen years, four locations plus a wholesale business later, that number can surpass 200 gallons a day.
Out of the 200 soups they’ve developed, 28 are cheese-based.
“I look at everything and think about how I can make it into a soup,” Jurena says, which is how his meatloaf and mashed potato soup came to be (his grandmother would make this dish for birthdays and holiday meals on request).
In addition to the classics his customers enjoy, like potato cheddar soup and broccoli cheddar soup, you can find some more outlandish creations on the rotating menu.
Take their bacon cheeseburger chowder.
“We grill hamburgers and cut them in, roast french fries in the oven … the only thing not in this chowder that you’d see on a cheeseburger is ketchup,” he says. Some of his other creations include lasagna soup, rueben soup, and grilled steak and blue cheese chowder with Yukon Gold potatoes.
Similar to how Jurena will look at common dishes and turn them into soup, Emilie Williamson, a registered dietitian nutritionist, will look at dishes to make them more healthful as the division corporate affairs manager for Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market stores.
“Nutrition was always a passion of mine, and I want to help others understand that delicious food can be nutritious, too,” says Williamson.
She strives to balance the macronutrients, including protein, fat and fiber-containing carbohydrates in each meal to help people feel full longer and maintain steady energy throughout the day.
“In a cheesy soup, it’s easy to find those protein and fat sources, which both come from the cheese. It’s the more fibrous ingredients I would encourage home cooks to challenge themselves to add,” she says. “If a recipe calls for one carrot, add two, or add one carrot and one parsnip. If it’s a blended
soup, it’s easy to add frozen cauliflower just before blending.”
To add another serving of vegetables to the classic broccoli cheese soup, Williamson likes adding crispy, roasted broccoli as a garnish on top of the soup.
As far as cheesy soup trends go, eaters tend to lean toward the classics. However, Cole Hansen says people are now looking to add additional protein or make their soup diet-friendly, for example in a ketogenic diet (which is low in carbs and high in fat).
As the corporate chef for Johnsonville, he experiments with adding its sausages, brats and other products to dishes. Hansen has also developed many cheesy soup recipes, such as a cheddar beer brat soup featuring Johnsonville brats, lager, sharp cheddar cheese, jalapeños and more. “Wisconsin is known for cheese, brats and beer. This soup is just craveable,” he says. “The beer actually breaks down the proteins in the cheese while adding water, which helps keep the cheese from breaking down too quickly.”
Since variations of beer cheese soup are so popular in Wisconsin, he also has tips on which types of beer to use.
“The best beer for a cheese soup is an ale,” he says. “A stout will add good flavor, but it changes the soup to an unappetizing color. IPAs are so high in hops that they’ll add too much bitterness. An ale is a well-balanced beer that’s not too bitter with the hops.”
But no matter what type of cheese soup you make, the type of cheese makes a huge difference. The secret to getting a melty, cheesy soup that’s not clumpy? Pick a cheese that’s going to be high in moisture with a low melting point, such as medium or sharp cheddar, Gruyère or Fontina cheese.
“Aged cheeses aren’t good for soups because they have low moisture and they can develop a gritty texture when heated.”
Some other great tips from Hansen: Don’t buy preshredded cheese (they have different stabilizers so the cheese doesn’t clump in the bag, but this also doesn’t melt well in a soup). Instead, buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself using a food processor.
“Sometimes I’ll toss a tablespoon of cornstarch into the cheese (one tablespoon per pound of cheese). This will help bind the cheese to the liquid and help thicken the soup.”
Also, make sure the temperature of your soup isn’t too high when you add the cheese. You want it to be at a simmer, less than 150 degrees.
“High temps will break down the protein in the cheese too much, that it’ll make it lumpy,” he says.
You want to add your cheese in batches and make sure it’s melted and smooth before adding more.
“I keep a thermometer with me to make sure it gets down to a decent temperature.”
It doesn’t get more Wisconsin than beer, cheese and brats in this recipe from Johnsonville.
Cheddar Beer Brat Soup
Recipe tested by Alysha Witwicki 1 package (19 ounces) Johnsonville Tailgate Cheddar & Beer Brats
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bottles (12 ounces each) lager or pilsner beer
2 cups chicken stock
1⁄4 cup butter
1⁄4 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped green onions for garnish
Cook brats according to package directions. Cut into bias-slice pieces, and set aside. In a Dutch oven, cook the celery, onion, jalapeno and garlic in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender; about 7-8 minutes.
Add 1 bottle of beer, simmer until reduced by half; about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring back to simmer.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and add flour, cook and stir until lightly browned; about 2 minutes. Whisk butter and flour roux into soup until combined; simmer 8-10 minutes. Add heavy cream, 1 bottle of beer and cheese in batches; cook and stir until melted.
Add brats; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve into bowls, and garnish with green onions.
This recipe from Pick ‘n Save is a healthier take on cheesy soup featuring tons of root vegetables and hard cider.
Sweet Potato Cider Cheese Soup
Recipe tested by Alysha Witwicki
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
11⁄2 tablespoons flour
12 ounces hard cider, such as Angry Orchard
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1 large sweet potato, diced (peeling optional)
1 cup 2 percent milk
4 ounces extra-sharp shredded Cheddar cheese
Ground pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and salt to taste
Apple chips for garnish
Heat Dutch oven or a stockpot over medium heat, adding olive oil when it comes to temperature. Sweat the onions until aromatic, about 5 minutes, then add celery and carrot. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes, and add the garlic, sautéing for about a minute. Add flour to create roux; stir for a minute or two. Whisk in hard cider and stock and then add turnip and sweet potato to the pot. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and easy to mash.
Remove from heat. Blend the soup using an immersion blender, breaking down the soup into a smooth consistency. Stir in milk. Once milk is incorporated, slowly add the cheese and stir to combine. Season with ground pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with apple chips to serve.
The recipe is a reprint from a 2006 Journal Sentinel “By Request” feature. Karen Garrison of New Berlin said she found it in Parade magazine in 1994.
“My family and friends love this recipe since it is not a heavy cheese soup,” she wrote.
Karen’s Broccoli Cheese Soup
5 tablespoons margarine (divided)
1⁄4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 large clove garlic, peeled, halved
2 pounds fresh broccoli
1 large rib celery, washed
1 large carrot, peeled
4 green onions
21⁄2 cups chicken broth
1⁄4 cup flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg or to taste
11⁄2 cups skim milk
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
In heavy 4-quart kettle, melt 1 tablespoon margarine over medium-high heat. Add yellow onion and garlic; sauté, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until onion is transparent; remove from heat and set aside.
Cut off broccoli stalks and discard. Divide broccoli into small, 1 inch-long florets (you should get about 3 cups). Rinse thoroughly and drain; set aside.
Cut celery into 1/8-inch diagonal slices. You should have about 1⁄2 cup. Cut carrot into 1/8-by-1-inch-long julienne strips to yield about 1 cup. Slice green onions into 1⁄4-inch pieces to yield about 1⁄2 cup.
Remove and discard garlic from sautéed onion in kettle; stir in chicken broth. Add broccoli, carrot, celery and green onion. At this point liquid should just barely cover vegetables. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, leaving cover slightly ajar to prevent broccoli from turning olive drab in color. Simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons margarine. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg, mixing until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, about 1 minute, or until it bubbles. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 4 minutes. Add cheese, whisking until cheese melts. Pour cheese sauce into broccoli-chicken broth mixture in kettle. Stir until soup is blended. Makes 6 servings.