Broccoli and Cheese Soup
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INGREDIENTS
• 10 Tablespoons of Butter 🧈
• 2 Medium-Large Yellow Onions 🧅
• 3 Cloves of Garlic 🧄
• ½ Cup of All-Purpose Flour ✨
• 4 Cups of Chicken Stock 🍗
• 4 Cups of Half-and-Half 🥛
• 12 Ounce Bag of Frozen Broccoli 🥦
• 4 Large Carrots Peeled and Julienned 🥕
• 2 teaspoons of Salt 🧂
• 1 ½ teaspoons of Pepper ✨
• 1 teaspoon of Paprika ✨
• 1 teaspoon of Dry Mustard Powder ✨
• A tiny pinch of Cayenne Pepper ✨
• 16 ounces of Shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese 🧀
INSTRUCTIONS
1) In a large pot: add 8 tablespoons of butter.
2) Over medium heat, very slowly add the flour, whisking constantly for five minutes.
3) Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly.
4) Slowly add the half-and-half, whisking constantly.
5) Allow the pot to simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, whisking every few minutes or so.
6) Chop up the onions and garlic (with a garlic rocker press to make it even easier).
7) Add 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pot on medium heat.
8) Sauté the onions for four minutes, and then add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Set aside.
9) Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen broccoli for five minutes. Strain the water completely and set the broccoli back in the small pot.
10) Julienne or chop up carrots.
11) Add the onions, garlic, broccoli, and carrots to the large soup pot.
12) Add all the spices and seasonings, and stir.
13) Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes on low heat, whisking occasionally.
14) Slowly add in the cheese and stir.
Keeps for 3-5 days in the fridge.
ETC.
“Don’t rush the rue!” is what my husband says every single time I make this, after a few totally failed attempts at making this soup many years ago, when I had never heard of let alone made my own rue.
Ain’t nobody got time for watery soup! 😂
I actually add a little bit more than ½ cup of flour, and am very diligent about whisking constantly when adding it to the butter, sprinkling in a little bit extra at the end.
Going very slowly when adding the broth and half-and-half is the key to making the best base for this soup!
Another thing I learned the hard way? Totally strain the broccoli and place it back in its pot for a bit to make sure there isn’t excess broccoli-water that will be dumped into your perfect soup base (and make it totally gross and disappointing.) 😂
If you can avoid these rookie mistakes, you should end up with thick, creamy, absolutely amazing soup! ✨
VARIATIONS
As this is one of my favorite recipes of all time, I have tried many different variations and above shared my very favorite version.
CARROTS: I love buying a bag of whole carrots (to have on hand for making my favorite ginger and carrot salad dressing!) and bought my own peeler to julienne whole carrots.
I’ve also chopped up baby carrots (which I don’t normally buy) and whole carrots into coins, which is delicious as well. 🥕
BROCCOLI: I have tried recipes that call for fresh broccoli, and you are more than welcome to go that route!
For convenience, and delicious taste and texture, I am here for a bag of frozen broccoli!
CAYENNE PEPPER: Let’s be real: I do not particularly like spicy food and I was going to skip out on this ingredient until my coworker the former line cook convinced me to not skip this step. He promised, “You won’t even taste it; it will not make your soup spicy, but it will add depth to the flavor.”
While I can’t say for sure what it’s adding (TBH 😂), I do know it’s good for you, and for sure will not make your soup spicy.
CHEESE: You can use a mix of cheese of your choosing!
I have tried buying blocks of cheese that I’ve shredded by hand because that was supposed to be a better way of going about it… it’s a no for me, dawg. 😂
You can save a lot of time buying shredded cheese—just saying. 🥰
