I have a cheese soup recipe that my family dearly loves and I would like to get the carbs down. I can replace the beer with low carb beer and I don't mind the small amount of carrots and onions that are in it, but I can't fugure out what to do about the flour. I have some of that ThickenThin not/Starch thickener (the stuff that uses vegetable thickeners) but I'm not sure how I would use it. Maybe someone knows how I would use it, or maybe has a better idea about how to thicken this soup? I don't want to use cauliflower to thicken it because I don't think that would go over well with the family!

Thanks for any suggestions!!

Here's the recipe:

Cheese 'n Ale Soup

2/3 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ale or beer
dash salt and pepper

Saute vegetables in butter. Blend in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese; stir until melted. Add ale. Heat; do not boil. Makes 4 1 cup servings.

Thankyou so much, that sounds good, or you can use chicken broth instead of the beer.......I do that when I make my cauliflower and cheese soup, but yum the beer sounds better..........

I have that same question, on what to thicken it with, I always have to use flour.....Please let me know when you find out, thanks again for the recipe, Gina

p.s you may want to try heavy cream instead of milk, or that low carb hood milk

The flour isn't just for thickening, it's to prevent the cheese from curdling the milk. The not starch does the same, thing, although you won't need that much of it. I would add maybe 1/4 t. of not starch to the milk. Everyone seems to have different ways of incorporating gum thickeners. I sprinkle with one hand while I whisk vigorously with the other. Some people like to use a salt shaker. You could also use a blender to get rid of the lumps. The not starch needs heat to thicken fully so I'd bring it to a light boil (before you add the beer/cheese).

I wouldn't rely on the not starch for all of the thickening. A lot of the thickening in this soup comes from the cheese. You could add a little extra cheese, or... you could whack this with a hand blender and puree the veggies. Pureeing veggies will give you the right consistency.

Scott123,

So I should add the thickener with the liquid rather than sort of blending it in with the butter? Is that because the vegetable thickener doesn't have to have the starch bits get coated with the butter? (My knowledge of food science is pretty sketchy!)

The other question I have is, it's alright to bring the milk to a light boil? I thought you can't boil milk. However, I have no idea why that is, I think I just always thought that. As I said, my knowledge of food science is not great!

Thanks Scott and GinaLeanne for your help!!!

There is a chicken and broccoli recipie that comes out with a sauce exactly like broccoli cheese soup.

You could maybe do something close with this recipie. With the shredded cheese mix in like 1/2 cup mayo. Also use cream in place of some of the milk (use hood carb countdown milk, not regular) as this will help to thicken up the soup as well.

You're very welcome!

Yes, add the thickener to the liquid rather than blending it with the butter.

Yes, not starch (soluble gum fiber) doesn't work like starch- you can't coat it with butter like flour.

Milk can be boiled. It goes through slight changes that make it unsuitable for certain recipes, so that's maybe where you heard it. For sauce/soup making, boiling milk is fine. Just make sure you bring it to a boil before you add the beer/cheese, not after.

Thanks all! I just love this list- it's so great to be able to benefit from the expertise of everyone!

I think I'll try Scott's suggestion first, since that doesn't change any ingredients except for the flour. My family is totally devoted to this recipe exactly the way it is, especially my picky DD, so I have to sneak the changes past them! But then next time I will probably go ahead and try some of these other suggestions as well.

I never thought of adding mayo- that's a really interesting idea. I can't get Hood milk near me- they've stopped carrying it. I'll probably substitute some Half and Half for some of the milk. It's a good thing I'm not focusing too much on watching calories, because this is a pretty hefty recipe!

Also, since you're not using the flour (to make a 'roux' with the butter), you can cut the butter amount in half, to about 2 Tbsp ...and it won't be floating around on top that way.

Good idea! I never thought of that- thanks!

I love soups that have the butter floating on top. The buttery taste is just fantastic.

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to get back to you and let you know that I made the cheese soup, using some of your suggestions, and it came out really well! I'm going to rewrite the recipe and post it in the soups area.

Thanks for your help!