Servings: 9

2 tablespoons Butter 2 tablespoons Butter
1 large Onion, chopped 1 large Onion, chopped
2 stalks Celery, chopped 2 stalks Celery, chopped
 
16 cups Broccoli Florettes, (roughly 4 large crowns) 16 cups Broccoli Florettes, (roughly 4 large crowns)
4 1⁄ 2 cups Chicken Stock 4 1⁄ 2 cups Chicken Stock
 
6 tablespoons Butter 6 tablespoons Butter
6 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour 6 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
3 cups Milk 3 cups Milk
 
8 ounces Light Velveeta , cut into slices 8 ounces Light Velveeta , cut into slices
 
1⁄ 2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard , or to taste 1⁄ 2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard , or to taste
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce , or to taste (Frank's Red Hot preferred) 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce , or to taste (Frank's Red Hot preferred)
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper, or to taste 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper, or to taste
Salt, to taste Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste Black Pepper, to taste
 
Wondra Flour, optional Wondra Flour, optional

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery until tender.
Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender.
Using potato masher, mash the broccoli until broken down into small pieces. Alternately you could use a blender or stick blender right in the pot for a smoother consistancy. If using blender, be very careful as mixture is very hot.
In a small saucepan, over medium-heat melt butter, whisk in flour and stir for a couple of minutes to remove raw flour taste. Whisk in milk. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. TIP: If you heat the milk a bit in the microwave before adding, the sauce will thicken much faster.
Add Velveeta and stir until melted.
Stir in Dijon mustard, hot sauce and cayenne pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat until just heated through. Do not boil.
If soup is too thin, thicken with a bit of Wondra flour. Do not substitute regular flour as it is not fine enough and will form lumps.