Gazebo Cheese Soup

A simple and elegant cheese soup. This year I served it with my Easter ham. I got this fabulous recipe from my mother-in-law who served it for Christmas Eve dinner. It is a lovely company soup-- rich and creamy with a nice apricot color, which looks great with the dark portobellos scattered on top. Definitely a "lick the bowl" type of soup (if no-one's looking, of course!). Great as leftovers, but not so good to freeze b/c of the cream.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons butter
• 3  green onions, with green tops sliced
• 2  grated carrots
• 2  stalks celery, diced
• 1  portabella mushroom cap, diced
• 2  cans chicken broth
• 2  cans  cream of potato soup
• 1  can  cream of mushroom soup
• 8  ounces Velveeta cheese
• 1⁄2 cup  grated cheddar cheese
• 1  cup sour cream
• 3  dashes Tabasco sauce

Directions

1. Saute veggies in butter.
2. Put into a large pot.
3. Saute portobello separately, set aside, and add at the very end.
4. Add broth and Tabasco sauce to pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add canned soup, cheese, and sour cream and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Add sauted portobellos and allow to heat through.