Beer and Cheese Soup

Last night Jon and I were struggling to decide what to make for dinner, when he remembered he has been dying to make beer and cheese soup. Unfortunately, by the time he figured this out, it was getting a little late and our hunger was becoming undeniable. We quickly scoured the internet for a beer and cheese soup recipe that would satiate our hunger with the least amount of total cook time possible, yet still provide the tasty flavor Jon was searching for. Jon was doubtful that we would ever find anything suitable. I, however, have far more faith in the world wide web - and it did not disappoint me. Thanks to Rachel Ray, we were able to concoct a beer and cheese soup that met all our demands.

We were hoping to make our own croutons, but time and the measly selection of ingredients at our small town grocery store were not on our side. Instead, we picked up some pre-made garlic and butter croutons and they certainly got the job done.  We also added some grated cheddar cheese to the soup after serving.

We changed a few things from Rachel's recipe - we opted not to use leeks and we added onion and celery. We also decided to use Guinness beer instead of the suggested Dos Equis - a fantastic swap, if I do say so myself... so flavorful!

All in all, this was a pretty great recipe! Rachel states the recipe takes about 20 minutes to make, but it took Jon and I around 40 minutes or so (perhaps because I was simultaneously prepping our dessert - also to be blogged about!). Definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a flavorful and creamy soup.