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Smooth and cheesy Broccoli Cheese Soup is the perfect meal for a cold winters night. If you puree it up enough, the kids will never know there is broccoli in it!
Soup season is officially open at our house. I know there are some people who think soup is not a meal but I’m not one of them. And either is my husband! We love soup for dinner, especially when it is accompanied with a loaf of fresh homemade french bread! Today’s recipe for broccoli cheese soup is the perfect blend of cheese and broccoli. Roasting the broccoli a bit before adding it to the broccoli cheese soup gives it even more flavor. I just roasted it in a little oil over medium heat my large heavy Dutch oven pan until the broccoli starting getting a little charred.
This broccoli cheese soup isn’t too cheesy and there isn’t too much broccoli. It’s just right. I used a combination of medium cheddar cheese and a sharp white cheddar cheese to give it even more flavor. And next time I may add in a little pepper jack for a little kick. It is important to grate your own cheese for the soup. Pre-grated cheese has added ingredients to prevent melting and clumping in the bag. That also keeps it from melting smoothly in your soup! Grating your own cheese will give you a better texture.
In addition to broccoli, the soup also has carrots and onions. But because it is all blended up, no one knows! I prefer my broccoli cheese soup nice and smooth but if you like chunks of broccoli in your soup, just puree half of the soup and leave the rest as is. And the soup is made even creamier with some half and half added in.
My favorite way to enjoy this broccoli cheese soup is with a sprinkle of green onion, crispy bacon and a sprinkle of even more cheese on top. I’m always a fan of a little crunch in my food and the bacon does that perfectly.
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Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2-3 Tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 cup carrot peeled and diced
- 3 tsp garlic minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups 1/2 & 1/2
- 2 cups medium cheddar cheese grated
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- bacon bits
- green onions
- cheese grated
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy pan over high heat. Add in broccoli and cook until broccoli begins to char on the bottom. Stir, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until tender and charred on both sides. Remove to a bowl
- Add in butter, onion and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently until tender. Lower heat and add in garlic, cook for an additional minute.
- Add in chicken broth, broccoli, bay leaves, 1/2 & 1/2 and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer until broccoli is completely tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and pour soup into a high speed blender, blend soup (only blend half of soup if you want a chunkier soup). Return soup to pan and add in cheese a cup at a time. Stir until cheese melts. Season with paprika and salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts:
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Tisha says
This looks absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m adding these ingredients to my shopping list for the week! :o)
Kathleen Durrant says
When do you add the broccoli back in??
Leigh Anne says
Sorry about that – Ive updated the recipe to reflect that.