2green onions- chopped, white and light green parts
1/4cupflour
4tbspbutter- 1/2 stick
1tbsphot sauce
1tspdry mustard powder
1tspground black pepper
1tspsalt
Instructions
In a large soup pot or dutch oven fry the bacon pieces on medium-high heat until cooked. Remove the pan from heat, scoop out the bacon pieces (leaving the grease in the pot), and place a couple of paper towels on a plate to drain. Set the bacon aside for later and return the pot with the bacon grease in it to the heat.
Add the onions to the bacon grease and begin sauteing over medium heat. After a few minutes when they start to become translucent add in the minced bell pepper and minced carrot. Let the veggies cook until soft and begin to have some color.
Add in the garlic, cook for a few minutes stirring as needed.
Add in the butter, thyme sprigs, mustard powder, ground pepper, salt, and hot sauce.
Let the butter melt completely then add in the flour and mix around. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and beer, mix to combine. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
Add in the half and half, when the soup has gotten very hot again (but not boiling) begin to slowly add the cheeses, a little bit at a time.
Taste the soup carefully, add any additional salt or pepper to taste at this time.
When ready to serve, serve with the bacon pieces as a garnish, you can also garnish with a swirl of cream, dots of hot sauce, and fresh thyme or green onion.
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Notes
The soup is bold in flavor, the beer is hoppy and rich, I use half and half instead of cream so that it doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the soup.Using white cheddar and white pepper jack cheeses gives the soup a beautiful natural color vs a bright orange color.2. Saving the bacon for a garnish instead of putting it back into the pot of soup keeps it crispy and adds texture to the soup.3. For the ultimate treat, serve with steak sliced thinly on top, it is perfection!4. Any beer will work, each beer will change the flavor slightly. My favorite is a Blue Moon, (Belgium wheat) or an American Pale ale because it is a nice light-tasting beer with great citrus notes which gives the soup an extra bright flavor.
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.