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I dug out my very old recipe (hand written on a recipe card) for broccoli cheddar soup and gave it a tune-up, a facelift, and a makeover. Served in a bread bowl or coffee cup, it’s all good. The broccoli is front and center with just a little hint of heat from the cayenne. The cheese is sharp, creamy and rich, the carrots are soft but not mushy, and the broth is exceptional. Bodacious = seriously delicious.
My husband insisted I give this recipe a proper name because it is well deserved. We don’t eat a lot of creamy soups but this is worth the splurge. If you have more than four people enjoying this soup, you may want to double the recipe. Somebody will want leftovers 🙂
Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and julienned
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or stock
- 4 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups half & half or use whole milk or a combination of 1 cup milk and 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 4 ounces American cheese cubed
- 1 green onion sliced thin for garnish
- Bread bowls for serving if desired
Instructions
- In a large dutch-oven or soup pot add the butter and olive oil and heat on medium until melted. Add the diced onion and carrots. Sauté just until just tender.
- Add the salt, pepper and flour to the cooked vegetables. Cook and stir for a few minutes scraping the bottom of the pan until a fond starts to form. Gradually whisk in the vegetable broth scraping up the bottom of the pan. Add the dry mustard, cayenne, (if using) bay leaf and broccoli. Bring to a boil then cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the half-and-half to the soup and increase the heat to medium. Once simmering add both cheeses, stirring until completely melted. Reduce the heat to low, cover and heat for about 10 minutes or until the carrots and broccoli are very tender.
- Ladle into soup bowls or bread bowls and garnish with additional grated cheddar and sliced green onions if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Pin to your favorite soup board!
We’re luckier than most when the hurricane took a right and headed out to sea. We’ve had days of rain and wind, but no major problems. This soup was perfect for a rainy weekend indoors and will be on our rotation again soon. Hope you’ll give it a try. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful week 🙂
Tricia
Julie G
I made this for dinner tonight after a weekend away for the holiday. Prepped everything this morning and when it came time to begin it was a breeze. This soup is excellent!!
I doubled the recipe so I could freeze some for a later date. The texture was spot on…not too thick and not too thin, just right. I like the addition of carrot for a bit of sweetness. I didn’t have half and half on hand so I used equal parts of whole milk and heavy cream, which worked out fine.
I love these tried and true recipes with basic ingredients I typically have on hand for an easy delicious meal.
Thanks for another keeper, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Outstanding! Thank you so much Julie. We’re thrilled you enjoyed this soup and appreciate you taking the time to comment. Have a very Happy New Year!
Deborah Coates
The best soup ever! My British friends, African friends and Americans too. For any age group. Thank you!!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Deborah! We LOVE this soup and am thrilled soup weather is here again 🙂
Terry Covington
I made this for dinner recently for me and my mom, and wanted to let you know how wonderful it was! I particularly liked it because it doesn’t require a blender or anything fancy in order to turn out great! Thank you!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much for commenting Terry. We thought it was terrific too 🙂 I loved the texture with little chunks of broccoli. Thanks so much for reading and trying our recipes. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Toni
This sounds so creamy and delicious. I love soup served in bread like this too.
Tricia Buice
My husband loves the bread bowls too – I am a bread dipper myself 🙂