For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may remember that I posted pics of my soup extravaganza on Saturday.
I made two batches of soup: one of potato cheese soup (recipe here), and today’s recipe: broccoli cheese soup!
I’ve been told it tastes like Panera’s, but I’ve never had their broccoli cheese soup. I’ll take it as a compliment.
I added a little cooked, puréed cauliflower to the white sauce to give it a little more body. Also, it’s great for adding a little extra veggies to the soup!
Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup celery
- 1 cup carrots
- 2 cups onions
- 1 T. Garlic, minced
- 4 T. Butter, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tablespoons AP flour
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- 4 cups cheese (I like medium cheddar, but you could use colby, or a sharper cheddar)
- 2 cups cauliflower, steamed and pureed (I used my immersion blender)
- 2t. dry mustard
- Dash Cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large stockpot, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and saute onions until clear and slightly browned.
- Add carrots and celery, cook for another 5-10 minutes, until veggies are soft.
- Add all of the chicken broth/stock, broccoli, and bay leaves. Cover pot and cook on low for 10-20 minutes.
- In a smaller pot, melt the remaining 2 T. of butter. Sprinkle melted butter with AP flour and stir until paste forms over low heat. The paste should brown slightly- DON’T BURN IT!
- Pour milk into the flour/butter paste and whisk briskly. You do not want lumps. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. This may take a few minutes. As the mixture thickens and there are no lumps, add the cheese slowly, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is incorporated/melted into the sauce. Once the sauce with complete, remove from heat.
- Mix in cooked/pureed cauliflower to the cheese sauce.
- Add the cheese sauce to the soup mixture slowly, stirring constantly. Once it is fully mixed, remove the bay leaves, season dry mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer soup for another 5-10 minutes, allowing spices and flavors to meld.
- Serve Soup hot with crusty French bread. Resist the urge not to eat it all in one sitting.
This recipe makes about 10-12 servings of soup. It can be frozen. And it makes a great gift!
A few weeks ago two friends told me about the free meal distributions at the Grossmont Union High School district locations. I knew that the schools were offering them, what I didn’t know is that each Friday the schools give out a free pizza for the kids.
I went to the grocery store over the weekend and picked up some much-needed essentials (bagels, fruit, and vegetables chief among them).
Cool Maker, Hollywood Hair Extension Maker. Bitty was most excited about this one. She had pink hair over the summer and has been longing for funky hair again. It was easy to set up, and while it only held her attention for 20-30 minutes, it was fun.
Cool Maker, GO Glam Nail Stamper Deluxe Salon with Dryer for Manicures and Pedicures. This was frustrating. You must use the polish included, and she didn’t like either of the colors. The polish and the stamps come off when you wash your hands, so 20 minutes later, the few nails we got the stamps to stick to were gone. This is a post COVID activity.
Orbeez – Ultimate Soothing Spa This was the most fun, however, ORBEEZ take upwards of 4 hours to plump up, so prep this one well in advance. You have to use both sachets of Orbeez and the bottle of pre-plumped Orbeez that comes with the kit in order for it to be anywhere near enough. If we use this again, I’ll be getting a lot more to fill the tub up more. The battery-powered motor is a little loud.
Hewes Family Fun 