Cheesy Turkey Broccoli Soup

      Serve this hearty soup with garlic bread, biscuits or corn bread. Recipe from Sarah Fritschner, food editor at the (Louisville) Courier-Journal.

      5 tablespoons butter

      10 ounces frozen chopped broccoli

      4 cups turkey or chicken broth

      4 tablespoons flour

      1 cup whole milk or half-and-half

      2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

      1 teaspoon salt

      1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

      1/2 teaspoon black pepper

      3 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken (see note)

      Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, about five minutes, to begin thawing and breaking it apart.

      Add broth and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat.

      Next, reduce the heat to simmer the soup.

      Combine flour and milk in a container with a tight-fitting lid and shake the mixture to blend the flour evenly into the milk and remove all lumps.

      When the broccoli has cooked to your desired taste, add the milk to the pot and cook, stirring, until thickened.

      If you’d like to remove the lumps, blend the mixture in a blender or use a hand-held blender.

      Add cheese, salt, Worcestershire, pepper and turkey, and stir over medium heat to melt cheese and heat through.

      Serves 4.

      Note: You can make this with canned chicken broth and either fresh, thinly sliced turkey or chicken breast. (Use about 1/2 pound of meat cut into small cubes, and cook 5 minutes or more, stirring, until the meat is opaque.)

      Per serving: 662 calories; 44 g fat (25 g saturated fat; 34 percent calories from fat); 14 g carbohydrates; 190 mg cholesterol; 2,223 mg sodium; 52 g protein; 2 g fiber.