Broccoli Cheddar Soup

After my success with Butternut Squash soup, I was tempted to try another soup, one of my favorites...Broccoli Cheddar.  The texture of the Butternut Squash soup reminded me of Broccoli Cheddar, so I used basically the same recipe, using broccoli of course, instead of  squash.  Here is my, somewhat unsuccessful, attempt:

Ingredients:
6 Tbs chopped onion
4 Tbs butter
4 heads of broccoli, steamed (this is 2 packages, next time I will cut the amount of broccoli in half)
3 cups water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese (not enough!  Next time I'll use 2)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (not enough!  Next time I'll use 3)

Directions:
1.  In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add water, bouillon, thyme, black pepper and paprika. Bring to boil; cook about 20 minutes.

2.  Puree broccoli and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth.  Add to saucepan, along with cheddar cheese and heat through. Do not allow to boil.


This soup was definitely chock full of broccoli, and it was too runny.  I'll need to thicken up the base next time (any suggestions are welcome!)  I'll also make it cheesier, with the addition of more cream cheese and cheddar cheese.  A thumbs down (yes, I actually did receive two thumbs down from a taster) on this version!