Shortcut Creamy Potato and Cheddar Soup with Asparagus Croutons

It's starting to get cold here on Long Island on these October Fall nights.   My throats a little scratchy with this change of weather and I'm just chilly all over, soup would surely hit the spot!  When food shopping the other day I was down the soup aisle replenishing my son's Ramen soup supply, (he's going through a picky phase) when I saw some soup mixes like this one:

So I bought it on a whim, thinking I'll doctor it up a bit to make it taste even more homemade then it claims on the package.  Well it tasted pretty darn good and the mix made it easy!  The addition of chunks of potatoes and carrots and garnishments give it depth and homemade flavor and make it a hearty and delicious meal.  This warmed me right up, and my throat was happy :) Here's what I did:

Peel and dice 1 large potato
Peel and dice 2 carrots
Chop 2 scallions for garnishing
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional- shredded cheddar cheese for garnishing

Optional - Roasted Asparagus for croutons.

Add 8 cups of water to large pot.  Add potato and carrots, bring to a boil and boil for 15 mins. In the meantime prepare the asparagus:  Use 1/2 bunch of asparagus.  Snap off the hard ends and place standing up in a small pot of boiling water, cook for 5 minutes.  Then transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Drizzle with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil, and sprinkle on to taste: garlic powder, seasoned bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.  Roast for about 10 minutes on 425 degrees until golden and lightly crispy.  Let cool and slice into 1 inch pieces, set aside

After cooking the potato and carrots, add the entire contents of soup packet.  Whisk to mix, bring back to boiling, and then lower to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.   Serve soup and garnish with scallions, asparagus pieces and shredded cheddar.

Enjoy!