"Walkabout" Onion Cheese Soup Recipe

I know I'm not a food blogger (one glimpse at my pictures will tell you that) but I do love to share my favorite recipes from time to time.  I've been making "Walkabout" Onion Cheese Soup for almost ten years now and I'm always in the mood for it when the weather gets cold and I want something to warm me up.  It's based on a Outback Resturant Copycat version I found in Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Restaurant Recipes.

This soup is delicious and super simple to make but comes with a few warnings.  It is mostly cream and cheese - not diet friendly and not for the lactose intolerant.  It is for onion lovers and you will likely smell like onions if you consume large amounts of this soup (as I always do) and your house will smell like an onion factory for a few hours.  SO worth it though and I wish I could offer you a smell-o-vision wiff!

Walkabout Onion Cheese Soup

8 cups of water

5-7 small onions

9 beef bullion cubes

3/4 cup flour

Salt and Pepper

1 cup (1/2 pint) light cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Pour the 8 cups of water into a large soup pan and bring to a boil. Unwrap the bullion cubes and add to the water.  Peel the onions, cut into petals and add to the water as well.  I typically do this by cutting the onion in half, and then in 6ths (with the center cut section down on the board).

Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer.  Let simmer for at least 30 minutes.  I like my onion with a little body so if you prefer yours more translucent cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Add the flour a sprinkle at a time using a flour sifter or sieve.  I use the sieve set on top of my pot, with the soup at a boil stirring constantly.  I lightly bounce the flour filled sieve on top until all has been added to the soup.

Add salt and pepper - about 1 t each or 8 cranks of your grinders/mills.  Allow to simmer another 15 minutes.

Add light cream and 1 1/2 c cheddar and 1/2 cup colby jack cheeses (reserving the rest to combine and sprinkle on top of each serving).  Simmer for an additional 15 minutes stirring frequently.

TADA!  That's it.  Serve, top with an extra sprinkle of cheese and enjoy.