Canadian Cheese Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup croutons)

Ingredients

• 3  (1-ounce) slices pumpernickel bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1  onion, peeled and quartered
• 1  carrot, peeled and quartered
• 1  celery stalk, quartered
• 1  teaspoon  butter or stick margarine
• 3/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2  (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  paprika
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  cups  (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place bread cubes on a jelly-roll pan, and bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until toasted.

While the croutons bake, combine onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor, and pulse until chopped. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add vegetables; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add 1 can of broth to flour in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pan. Stir in 1 can of broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes or until thick. Stir in milk, salt, paprika, and pepper; cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; add the cheese, and stir until cheese melts. Ladle soup into bowls, and top with croutons.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

203 (30% from fat)

Fat:

6.8g (sat 3.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

13.2g

Carbohydrate:

21.9g

Fiber:

1.8g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

671mg

Calcium:

318mg