Cheesy Spinach & Chicken Soup

It’s Food ‘n Flix time and I’m flying in at the end.  Which is pretty typical, all things considered.

I nearly didn’t do this month at all because I was having a hard time coming by the movie.  I always check Netflix and Amazon first (no dice) and then the library (checked out – for weeks!  It’s probably lost) because I don’t like to buy movies, especially if I’m not sure if I’ll like them or not.

Then we got on an airplane to go here:

And on that plane, lo and behold, was the movie for this month, Book Club, hosted by Evelyne from CulturEatz.

One magical week later, and it was time to be back in the frigid cold and start cooking!

Book Club follows four women who have gotten together for a monthly book club for decades.  Each of the women is at a certain crossroads in life when the monthly book pick is 50 Shades of Grey and it shakes the group to the core.

Now, I really couldn’t relate here, because while I absolutely adore reading, I vehemently refuse to read 50 Shades for a number of reasons that I’m not getting in to here.

As the movie progresses, each of the women find closure in one way or another.  All in all, this wasn’t a terrible movie, but not quite my style either.  It was merely ok.

As far as foodie inspirations go, there were lots of delicious appetizers in the book club scenes.  But since I was flying in at the last minute, I really had no occasion for making appetizers.

However, appetizers got me thinking about the Superbowl and how all anyone has is cheese laden appetizers, which are delicious, but honestly, you end the day with a stomachache!

I started wondering, what if I took an appetizer favorite like this Spinach and Cheese Dip and made it into a healthier main dish soup?

So I took that Spinach Cheese Dip (Velveeta, rotel, frozen spinach) and reimagined it using what I had on hand (because of course, we came home from Disney World to a blizzard!)

It is weird that what I had on hand was fresh chicken, fresh spinach, and frozen tomatoes (from my summer garden) instead of the processed stuff?

A testament to how one can change in 9 years, I suppose!

Then soup was amazing (Hubs added more cheese to his and said it was even better with more cheesy goodness!)  It is a great way to make a healthier (but still super cheesy (in a good way)) choice during the big game!

Cheesy Spinach & Chicken Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 jalapeños, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cup diced tomatoes (or 2 15 0z cans)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

1 ½ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cups lowfat milk

2 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

5 ounces fresh spinach

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender.  Stir in the jalapeños, garlic, and tomatoes.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the butter and flour and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.  Slowly add in the chicken broth.  Add the chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken and shred.  Stir in the shredded chicken, cheddar, milk, and spinach.  Heat through and serve.