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!
I went to the grocery store over the weekend and picked up some much-needed essentials (bagels, fruit, and vegetables chief among them).
