Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup
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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!
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.
ˆCreamy Broccoli Cheese Soup
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.
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If you like this recipe, you’ll also like:
Chicken Enchilada Soup (Slow Cooker)
Chicken Noodle Soup {Slow Cooker}
Homemade Minestrone Soup {Slow Cooker}
Italian Orzo Tomato Spinach Soup
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25 Comments on “Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup”
Loved this! It was a fast, easy to follow recipe. The taste was very good! My first attempt and it was fabulous.
This recipe is delicious! I used vegetable broth due to chicken allergies. Must make again.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It turned out great . I didn’t have the thyme to put in it but it still tasted delicious. Made it for my boyfriend and he was impressed. I am sure that I will be making it more often ad it is easy to make.
This tasted very good! Easy to cook too. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I used frozen broccoli & it worked well. Also added cooked chicken. Made a full meal.
This is the best broccoli soup recipe I have ever tried! It has officially replaced my “tired and true” recipe that I have used for years. Thank you for a recipe that is easy to follow, easy to make and absolutely delicious!
So simple to make and it came out DELICIOUS!
I used Sharp Cheddar and used heaping tablespoons of the Parmesan. Incredible! Thank you!
This soup is so yummy! I love how fast I made it and so good! I did thin it down a little more with half & half my soup was very thick coupld almost be a broccoli cheese sauce over baked potatoes. Will definetly add it to my favorites list.
This soup was fabulous! Thanks so much ?
Can you freeze the soup
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What is half and half?
Half and Half is a mixture of milk and cream. I use it as a coffee creamer. You can find it in the dairy case near milk or flavored coffee creamers.
I make a similar soup. The flour gives the soup a funny taste. I thicken my chowders and soups with instant masked potatoes from SAMs club. I add 1/4 cup with a stick blender.
What a great idea, or maybe even leftover potatoes mashed, so smart!
I think next time I will leave the thyme out, but still good!
HOLY COW! Thank you so much for this recipe! my husband and I have been in search of a good broccoli cheddar soup for years with nothing but horrible results, but this… this was perfect. i followed your recipie to a T. I will defiantly be recommending it to family and friends! 🙂
Just made it and boy-oh-boy was it yummerz! Thanks for this recipe.
I just made this. It turned out exactly as pictured. We enjoyed it but felt the thyme flavor was too pronounced. Next time I will use half the amount of thyme. Thanks for the easy recipe!
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Hi Marjori,
I am a little unsure as I haven’t tried it myself before. I would think, you’d need more liquid as the slow cooker would dry out the soup too much.
Thank you for the Almond Milk suggestion! It was delicious! I also substituted low fat sour cream for half and half. Mainly BC I got home from grocery and forgot to get it. But used same amount as called for in recipe and it was still creamy and delicious! And lighter!
Just made this for dinner, and it was DELICIOUS! Thanks for the fabulous recipe! It was super easy and quick to prepare, too!
We are eating clean & healthy so are loving your comfort food recipes! I made this soup last night for dinner. It was just amazing! I used Earth Balance instead of butter and Almond milk instead of cows milk. My family loved it. We will certainly be making this again! Thank you!
I am so glad you and your family enjoyed the broccoli and cheese soup, Lisa! It’s great to hear that almond milk will work in this recipe. I hadn’t tried it myself and was thinking about perhaps giving it a go for those individuals that would like to use something other than cows milk. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Will definitely try and keep the healthy recipes comin’ 🙂
Ground mustard was something I added to this. And I used non dairy milk as well. Yummy soup thanks for recipe
Broccoli cheese soup is definitely one of my favorites! I could go for a big warm bowl of this right now!