Faster Broccoli Cheese Soup

Miss me? It's been awhile, and I am recipes behind so I wanted to at least do a quicker one today. I've already posted a Broccoli Cheese Soup, but this one has fewer ingredients, as I had way less time to make it. I made it while I was entertaining Vicky. It took maybe 5 minutes to assemble, and you'll be done in about 20 minutes or less.

Serves about 5

extra virgin olive oil

1 bag of fresh broccoli florets (it was the Trader Joes bag, so maybe 12-16 ounces)

1 large onion

3 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper

1.5 boxes of broth. You can get away with 1 box for a thicker soup, but I had leftover

1/2 cup of half and half

2.5 cups extra sharp cheddar (I like Tillamook's black label for this)

drizzle a tablespoon or so of EVOO in a soup pot to medium heat. Slice the onion - no need to finely chop, and cook. add in the broccoli and cover. Mince the garlic and add to the pot. Allow to cook stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Then add the broth. bring to a boil and cook until broccoli is tender. Pour in the half and half and mix. Take out a blender and a large extra bowl. Ladle into the blender about half the soup (don't fill the blender more than half way). Blend on low then increase to medium to pureed. This should take only about a minute or so. Pour the pureed soup into the bowl. Now repeat the process with the rest of the soup. It only took two batches when I did this. Pour the blended soup from the blender back into the empty soup pot, and also the soup in the big bowl. Place on medium heat to heat up again, even though it should be hot. Add in the cheese and stir until completely melted. Serve with a little extra sprinkle of cheese on top.