Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Name: ˆCreamy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons salted butter; 1 cup white onion, diced (about 1/2 a large onion); 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/3 cup all purpose flour; 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth); 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 2 bay leaves; 2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%); 3/4 cup half and half; 3 1/2 cups chopped, fresh broccoli pieces; 2 carrots, grated; 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese; 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated; salt and pepper to taste

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A creamy, warm and cozy broccoli cheese soup that’s perfect for a cold, rainy day. This soup will warm you up from the inside out. This broccoli cheese soup tastes even better than Panera Breads!

So this settles it.

This veggie-loaded, creamy, warm, and cozy Broccoli Cheese Soup is the only soup i’m making for the rest of 2014! It’s simple, seriously yummy, and definitely perfect comfort food for fall. ♥

I’m just going to apologize now for bringing you a soup every week. I’m slightly soup obsessed right now and just cannot get enough. I’m well aware there are people that don’t like soup as much as I do. But this, this broccoli cheese soup is a gem, I just couldn’t keep it from you guys.

It’s been rainy here pretty much the last few weeks and we’re teeter-tottering in the 80s. I may have even broken a light sweat making broccoli and cheese soup, the other day. I turn the air conditioner on high and sit with a warm cozy blanket just so I can pretend that i’m enjoying boots and cardi weather that all of the midwest is enjoying right now. A girl can dream, can’t she?

When I was in college broccoli and cheese soup was a weekly staple. They always served it at the little soup and sandwich shop and I would make a pit stop to pick up a bowl before heading over to the library to bury my head in a textbook. The comfort of broccoli cheese soup lessened the stress of studying subjects like organic chemistry ← (ew).

What I love most about this homemade broccoli cheese soup is that it takes just 30 minutes to make from start to finish, it’s easy, and straight forward. And talk about being right on time for Meatless Monday. This is a great soup to make on the weekend for weekday meals or on a weeknight for dinner. Loads of broccoli and carrots will keep you full for hours. It’s perfect to serve with crusty French bread and a side salad.

This is a no-frills, easy-breezy, for-cheesy (hehe, couldn’t help it) kind of broccoli cheese soup recipe. It tastes just like Panera Breads Broccoli Cheese Soup – and I would go so far as to say it actually tastes better.

We start with lots of broccoli. We’re talking 3 1/2 cups worth of broccoli. I used fresh broccoli and would recommend that you do the same. Frozen broccoli (even if it’s been thawed) may release too much water into the soup, and nobody likes watery broccoli cheese soup. Bleh.

Since this soup is called broccoli cheese soup it’s only right that we add LOTS of cheese. I’ve used two types of cheese for my broccoli cheese soup recipe. It’s totally up to you whether you use mild or sharp cheddar for this soup. I went with the sharp cheddar cheese because I like that little kick you get from the cheese. If it’s not your thing, mild cheddar tastes delicious too.

The second kind of cheese is parmesan. Parmesan cheese is my secret ingredient in my broccoli cheese soup recipe. The parmesan flavor give this soup that little special somethin’ somethin’ that keeps everyone guessing what it is that’s making this soup taste so gosh darn good. I won’t tell if you won’t.

If you’re one of those people that likes the ‘cream of broccoli cheese soup’, it’s really easy to do with this recipe. Just use an immersion blender or a regular blender (holding down the lid with a towel if you’re doing it while the soup is hot) to blend everything. Add the cheddar cheese in after you’ve blended it, it’ll melt down and just be perfect.

This is definitely my favorite broccoli cheese soup recipe and I hope you love it as much as I do. What I wish for you is that you make a big batch of it and enjoy it throughout the week. We’ve never had this soup last more than 2 days in the refrigerator. Yup, it’s that good!

Please note – as of March 7th, 2015 some of the picture in this post have been replaced.

Yield: serves 6-8

ˆCreamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

A creamy, warm and cozy broccoli cheese soup that's perfect for a cold, rainy day. This soup will warm you up from the inside out. This broccoli cheese soup tastes even better than Panera Breads!

Ingredients

5 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup white onion, diced (about 1/2 a large onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
3/4 cup half and half
3 1/2 cups chopped, fresh broccoli pieces
2 carrots, grated
2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 7 minutes or until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook for 1 minute.
Add the flour and continue to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the broth, nutmeg, bay leaves, milk, and half and half. Cook stirring frequently until the mixture just begin to bubble, about 6-9 minutes.
Add the broccoli pieces along with the grated carrots. Allow the broccoli to get slightly tender, about 6-8 minutes. Turn the heat off, remove pot from stove, add in the cheddar and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with crusty French bread.