Chicken broccoli soup

This soup is the perfect comfort food on a dreary and cold winter day. It was featured in this month's edition of Cooking Light! Enjoy!

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup presliced mushrooms -I chopped my own!!
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
4 cups 1% low-fat milk -I used skim milk
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
4 ounces uncooked vermicelli (I used spaghetti), broken into 2-inch pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded light processed cheese (such as Velveeta Light) -I used extra sharp cheddar
4 cups (1-inch) cubed cooked chicken breast -next time I might try shredded chicken
3 cups small broccoli florets (8 ounces)
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; add butter to mushroom mixture, stirring until butter melts. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Add pasta to pan; cook 10 minutes. Add cheese to pan, and stir until cheese melts. Add chicken and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender and soup is thoroughly heated.

317 calories per serving

This was the perfect meal with bread and a salad! It also made awesome leftovers!!