Warm up with a bowl of this cheesy broccoli soup that uses frozen broccoli and two types of cheese for a creamy and flavorful meal.
I’ve always liked making food from scratch, even when it takes quite a bit of effort, but I also know I won’t always be this motivated. That’s why I’ve been trying to come up with more meals that use ingredients with a longer shelf life.
In honor of National Homemade Soup Day, I’m sharing a recipe that uses an ingredient that I’ve started to utilize a lot more: frozen veggies (more specifically, broccoli). Some of our go-to dinner meals use frozen veggies because they’re easy to stock up on and store for awhile. Then you just pull them out as needed, making meals easier to prepare for.
I’ve made a few different versions of broccoli cheddar soup, but this has been our favorite. The base of the soup is chicken broth, half & half, and a whole lot of frozen broccoli, which eventually you’ll puree.
I originally had this recipe with fewer ingredients, but I wanted to add a bit more depth to it, so I included a couple extra seasonings and a second cheese, which did the trick!
One thing you should know about the cheesy part of this soup, though, is you’ll need to buy blocks of cheese—not pre-shredded. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a powder to prevent it from sticking together, and while this can help thicken the soup, it can also make the cheese not want to melt.
Since I use cornstarch as a thickener in this soup, you’ll either need to make a slurry to prevent white chunks from appearing throughout the soup. OR, my personal favorite: toss the cheese you’ve shredded in the cornstarch before adding it to the soup, which helps prevent the white dots from happening. It might seem odd, but it works!
Within the hour, you should have a creamy bowl of cheesy, broccoli-filled soup (which is extra decadent with some bacon pieces on top).
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 cups broccoli (cut into florets)
- 4 cups (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup half & half
- 3 cups shredded cheddar (not pre-shredded*)
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (not pre-shredded*)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and add garlic, cooking until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the broccoli, chicken broth, and half & half. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Optional: Using an inversion blender, blend part of the soup to puree some of the broccoli (leave some small florets to keep some of the texture). Remove from heat.
- Start mixing in the cheese, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring well each time. Stir in paprika, ground mustard, and salt and pepper. Cook on low for another 5 minutes to help it thicken, if desired. Serve with additional shredded cheese and bacon pieces.
Notes
If you have a crusty homemade bread, that would also be delicious with this soup since it’s a pretty smooth base—it has optimal dippage potential.
I hope you enjoy it! Although it’s warmed up a bit in Chicago since last week (okay, quite a bit from last week), I’m still all about making soups and fully embracing soup season.
What’s your favorite kind of soup to order at restaurants or make at home?
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