Dennis's Philly Cheese Steak Chowder

This soup was created by my friend, Dennis Bevers. He's a fellow Texan,  who is now my fiance.

Dennis's's Philly Cheese Steak Chowder

Dennis's Philly Cheese Steak Chowder

1 -  15 oz box Steak-Ums or shaved beef from any grocery store

2 - Tbs olive oil or butter (to me, it tastes better with butter!) I had to keep adding butter when I was cooking the vegetables and then again when I cooked the steak - about 6 Tb butter total

16 oz fresh button mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup green pepper, chopped

8 cups beef broth or or 2 - 32 oz boxes

2 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I ended up using 2½  (8oz) boxes because I added more broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic powder or minced garlic, to taste  (I used about ½-1 tsp powder)

2 cups Provolone, Havarti cheese (or a mixture). I used 1 cup Provolone and 1 cup Havarti.

Parsley, chopped, if desired

 Garnish: 1 cup EXTRA grated cheese to place on top of each individual bowl of soup. (3 cups cheese total for soup).

Toasted Sourdough bread to dip in soup 

Directions

Place beef broth in soup pot and heat on low, adding chunks of the softened cream cheese. Whisk occasionally so cheese will blend with broth.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add sliced mushrooms, chopped onion and green pepper; saute til softened. Add this (including ALL liquid) to soup pot with broth and stir.

Then saute Steak-ums in same frying pan, adding a little more oil or butter. It's ok if it breaks up. When cooked, add to soup/broth and stir all together, making sure cream cheese is blended.

Add 2 cups grated cheese, while stirring, to blend. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

After pouring soup into individual bowls, add more shredded cheese to top of each one. Toast bread for each person to dip into soup. Don't skip this step!

This is absolutely delicious! It's now one of my favorite soups! I know you'll love it too!