Cheesy Creamy Cabbage Soup

Don't worry! The burner was still off. My
helper only THINKS he's cooking.

I love soup. All kinds of soup. Unfortunately for me, I am the only one in my family with such an affinity for a big bowl of soup at meal time so I am always trying to find a new recipe or try something different to figure out something that's allergen-free and delicious for all. With this week's soup I had a dual mission: clean out the fridge to boot. We're getting ready to move so we're trying to pare down everything that needs moving, and that includes perishables. So I looked through the fridge and pantry, then took to Pinterest. I found one recipe that used the limited supplies I still have on-hand and that I thought could be modified to meet our allergy needs: Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup. A couple problems, though. Child #2 has sensory issues so he heaves and chokes on the texture of cabbage and onions, Child #4 is allergic to nightshades, and as a family we avoid processed foods, especially the likes of Velveeta. Considering these necessary modifications, I took the recipe to task and whipped up what turned out to be an incredibly delicious and nutritious soup(plenty for the six of us) that was loved by all. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil(butter, EVOO, beef fat- any will do)
1 medium onion, diced
5 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large turnip
3 cups of homemade stock
1 small(or half of a large) cabbage, chopped
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup shredded good melting cheese(Monterey Jack or a mild white cheddar are good)
1/2 cup shredded hard, salty cheese(Asiago, Romano, or Parmesan are good)
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a soup pot, warm the oil then add onion and garlic. Sautee over medium-high heat 3-5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Add the turnip and stock(I used beef, but chicken and vegetable would work just fine, too), bring to a boil, then simmer for ten minutes.

Add the cabbage then cover and simmer for another 15 minutes until the cabbage is soft.

Remove the soup pot from the heat, take off the cover so it can cool slightly, then in a separate pan make the roux: melt the butter in a skillet. Add flour and whisk until the roux is golden brown.

Add the milk, whisk out any lumps in the roux, and continue to heat over medium-high until the mixture is hot. Turn off the heat and add the cheeses(I used Monterey Jack and Asiago).

While the cheeses melt, pour the contents of the soup pot into a large blender canister and puree until smooth(One of the many amazing uses for my VitaMix- silky smooth soups!). 

Pour the soup back into the large pot. By now the cheeses should have melted in the skillet. Stir lightly, then add the contents of the skillet to the pot. Return the pot to heat, salt and pepper to taste, and warm gently just until it steams.

Voila! Serve with your side of choice. We chose my own garlic-rosemary Italian bread(Yes, I know! You want the recipe! Believe it or not, I've had THAT blog planned for two years now. I'm just SO easily distracted and writing time is so limited.). So much flavor, and so-so-so good! It was healthy and wholesome, it was allergen-free for my delicate guy, and completely sensory-friendly.