Cheddar-broccoli soup with turkey bacon

B and I will occasionally buy fresh soups from Costco but we're pretty conscious of how fat- and salt-laden they are. One day, I found myself with a lot of broccoli and cheddar to use up and decided to create my own version of broccoli-cheddar soup, which included adding turkey bacon. It was still creamy and cheesy and the broccoli stayed tender-crisp. I didn't measure how much this made as it disappeared too fast, but I'd guess 4-6 portions.

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Cut 2 lbs broccoli into bite-sized pieces, separating stems from florets. Dice 1 sweet onion and 3 cloves garlic. Cut 8 slices turkey bacon into 1" pieces.

Melt 6T butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, broccoli stems and turkey bacon, then saute for several minutes until onion is translucent and bacon browned, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. Add garlic and 1 tsp paprika and cook for another minute. Sprinkle with 3T flour and stir rapidly to avoid burning. Once starting to turn brown, quickly add 6 cups chicken broth and 1 cup white wine. Increase heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Add florets and cook for another couple of minutes, until tender-crisp. Stir in 2 cups of sharp cheddar and 1/2 cup table cream, then immediately remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted. Season to taste.

Tip: This recipe would probably be delicious topped with sliced day-old baguette and extra cheese, then broiled, much like French onion soup.