Broccoli Cheese Soup
One of my daughter’s favorite soups is Broccoli Cheese soup. Which meant I prepared this soup and had it waiting for her to return from a sleepover. Yes, I am that sucker parent.
A thick, creamy, cheesy, comforting soup from scratch. No canned soups here. It’s surprisingly quick and easy to prepare. And oh-so-delicious!
What You’ll Need
This is one of those great recipes that is easily converted to vegetarian just by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Fresh broccoli florets – Fresh is best in our opinion. Frozen tends to cook up extremely soft with added water that will thin the soup.
- Carrots, onion, and garlic cloves – These all add the stand flavors of most soups.
- All-purpose flour, unsalted butter, half and half – The base of any roux.
- Chicken stock – Or chicken broth.
- Bay leaf, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper – These seasonings bring depth to the creamy, rich soup.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – You can shred your own or buy repacked shredded cheese.
Tips and Variations
- You can replace the half and half with a dairy of your choice. Make it richer with heavy cream or lighter with milk. Be aware that it will change the consistency.
- Use a cheese of your choice – mild cheddar, gruyere, or even change the flavor with a pepper jack cheese or Monterey cheese.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Shred the carrots, chop the onions, and mince (press) the garlic.
For the broccoli, chop 2/3 of it into tiny florets (just cut off as much of the stem as you can and it’ll fall apart in the pot), and then take the remaining 1/3 and give it a rough chop so you have a few large pieces to add to the soup. (optional)
Add the vegetable broth (or chicken broth) to a pot over medium-high heat, and add 2/3 of the broccoli florets (about 2 cups) as well as your onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaf.
Simmer on medium heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
Start the roux when the vegetables are almost done.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, slowly add 3 tablespoons of flour as you whisk constantly. Cook the roux for about 2 minutes to remove the flour taste.
Slowly pour the broth from your vegetables into the roux and whisk to incorporate.
Remove the bay leaf from the vegetables. Next, pour the vegetables into the roux/broth mixture and slowly stir in 1 cup of room temperature half and half.
Reduce heat to very low. Season with nutmeg, basil, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
Remove from the heat and add the cheese in batches. Season to taste.
So much better than the one you order at a restaurant. If you are adventurous serve this cheesy broccoli soup in bread bowls like Panera!
Garnish with additional grated cheese (because evidently, you can’t have enough cheese flavor according to my daughter) and broccoli florets.
FAQ
Let the soup cool completely, place it in an air-tight container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat your broccoli cheese soup place it in a saucepan over low to medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes.
We don’t recommend freezing soups with dairy, it tends to separate in the freezer. It’s best to leave the milk and cheese out, and freeze it in an airtight container. When ready to reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight, and add the half-and-half and cheese when reheating.
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large head fresh Broccoli (a few cups of chopped florets)
- 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra for topping)
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Half and Half, room temperature
- 3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the onion small, mince the garlic, and shred the carrots.
- For the broccoli, chop 2/3 of it into tiny florets [just cut off as much stem as you can and it’ll fall apart in the pot] and then take the remaining 1/3 and give it a rough chop so you have a few large pieces to add to the soup. (optional)
- Add your veggie broth to a pot over medium-high heat, add 2/3 of your broccoli [about 2 cups of florets] as well as your onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaf. Simmer on medium, covered, for about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Start your roux when the vegetables are almost done: In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, slowly add 3 tablespoons of flour as you whisk constantly. Cook the roux about 2 minutes to remove the flour taste.
- Slowly pour the broth from your vegetables into the roux and whisk to incorporate.
- Remove the bay leaf from the vegetables. Next, pour the vegetables into the roux/broth mixture and slowly stir in 1 cup of room temperature half and half.
- Turn the burner to very low heat.
- Season with the above herbs and spices.
- Add the cheese in small batches until all melted.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
Extra Broccoli:
- Blanch in boiling water or steam in your microwave. Add to the soup.
- Garnish with extra cheese, if desired.
Thank you for all your recipes. I have tried lots of them and every one that I have tried is so good.
Thank you Pat!
I love warming, flavourful soups like this, especially this time of year! Thank you for sharing your Broccoli Cheese Soup with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Looks fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. Please come back again soon.
Wow this looks so good! I always associate broccoli and cheddar soup with Christmas! Thanks so much for entering #festivefoodfriday!
Thank you Kerry!
Oh this would be great for the kids. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme
No cans?! Count me in! I enjoy making and {eating} meals from scratch. I remember eating broccoli cheese soup my sister used to make when I was a kid and I loved it! I need to try yours out, especially with the addition of the carrots. Can you taste the carrots in it? Thanks for linking up your recipe at Talented Tuesday.
Cheers,
AJ
Hi AJ, no you can’t taste the carrots. It just adds a little different texture. Thank you!
That looks delicious (I’m getting hungry the more I hang around your blog…) Your daughter is one lucky girl! Thanks for stopping at Your Inspired Design!
Thank you Holly!
This looks so heavenly! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Merry Monday.
Thank you Sherry!
This looks so thick and yummy. I love soup like this. My only concern would be if it was quite calorific/high in fat because of the cheese. Any ideas on that one? I suppose I could substitute the cheddar for half fat. I love the idea of this though. Cheese and broccoli, you can’t go wrong.
Sally @ Life Loving
#LifeLovingLinkie
I suppose you could use low fat cheese and fat free half and half. Couldn’t hurt to try.
YUM! This looks really delicious! I’m not a broccoli person because of the texture, so I love any dish where I can add them and not feel them… if that makes sense, haha. Thanks for sharing with the Wednesday Showcase!
hehe Thanks Cristina!
Oh what an awesome dish! That’s pretty much how I make this comforting soup too. So glad you shared with us at Weekend Potluck. MMMM!
Thank you!
Broccoli Cheese is one of my favorites too, this looks delicious! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend?!
Broccoli Cheese Soup is one of my Favorites. I love that you added all these different spices. Pinned:)
Thank you for stopping by Ilka!
This looks so delicious! – I think we will give this one a go since it’s packed full of veg for the kids (and big kids ;p) coming at you from the life loving linky, (i also pinned the recipe because it looked so tasty!)
Thank you Charlotte!
Yum! I’d love to try your recipe! Pinning!
Thank you for sharing with us at Brag About It!
~Laurie
I found you through While I am Waiting’s link party. This sounds so good! I am always looking for new soup recipes; I pinned this for later!
Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
Yum! I love broccoli cheese soup!
This looks and sounds so good. I love soups, especially at this time of year x #TastyTuesdays
Thank you Kirsty!
My daughter loves the broccoli cheese soup at Panera. I will have to try this recipe!
Then she will love this soup! Thanks for stopping by and have a great Thanksgiving!
Oh this looks delicious! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Thank you!
This looks lovely, perfect for these colder days
Yes, Alison it’s a regular menu item in our house during the cold weather months.
I’d say that makes you a nice parent, not a sucker!
Looks yummy, pinned!
Visiting via What’d You Do This Weekend blog hop!