Gosh I love soup season! I am busting them out this year and having a delicious time experimenting. My White Cheddar Broccoli Soup is one that I’ve been making for years and is a family favorite. It’s easy, made from scratch, creamy, full of sharp white cheddar, and loaded with broccoli. The addition of carrots adds flavor and color!
Don’t you just want to dive in? We love serving this yummy soup in bakery fresh bread bowls from our local grocer. Also, check out the mini ones! Those are just “hard rolls” and are so cute and fun to prepare for smaller appetites.
How to Make the Homemade Soup Base
First, you’ll start out with butter and onions, which is a fantastic start to any dish isn’t it? Sauté until soft then it’s time to make a homemade roux which is just flour and fat that are mixed together to thicken sauces.
After adding flour, add half-and-half, chicken broth, nutmeg, paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaves. The hint of nutmeg in this soup is surprisingly perfect.
Let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken. This is a great time to get your broccoli and carrots chopped.
Add 5 cups of broccoli and 2 large diced carrots to the soup. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are all soft.
Finishing up the White Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Once the vegetables are tender, it’s time to smooth it out. You have options here which are to leave everything chunky, blend it all smooth or blend half of it. I always choose the latter. Take out about half of the vegetables then use an immersion blender to blend the remaining soup until smooth. Then, add the vegetables back in.
Next, it’s time for cheese! Sharp white cheddar is absolutely perfect in this soup and the only kind I recommend. The sharp tanginess pairs so well with the richness of the butter, nutmeg and cream. Any brand will do but I am a huge Tillamook fan.
Once the cheese is stirred in and melted, you’re ready to serve! So easy!
My White Cheddar Broccoli Soup is rich, creamy, and comforting. It’s my favorite “broccoli cheese” soup and I hope you love it as much as I have over the last 10 years!
Sponsored post for Lee’s Marketplace. Ingredients on sale October 27-November 2: bakery bread soup bowls, butter, chicken broth, flour
White Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 4 cups sharp white cheddar, grated
Optional:
- 6 Bread bowls for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour completely and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in half-and-half until smooth. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often until slightly thickened.
- Add chicken broth, paprika, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add broccoli and carrots then stir to combine. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves.
- Remove about half of the vegetables and place in a separate bowl. Use an immersion blender or blender to puree soup until smooth. Stir vegetables back into the soup. Add 3 cups of cheese and stir until melted.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining cheese.
Notes
1. You can puree all of the soup for a completely smooth consistency or leave the soup chunky. It’s up to you! I prefer to do half and half as described above. 2. If the soup turns out too thick, add a little water to thin it out.
I actually thinking about making broccoli soup and found this post. So I will definitely make it tonight.
My family loved this soup! Thank you for sharing it! We love your recipes!
So happy y’all loved it! Thank you for the review!