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Chunky Broccoli and Cheese Soup

August 11, 2014


Some people say summer isn’t soup weather.  To those naysayers, I say, “More soup for me”.  It can be 100 degrees outside, and I still love sitting down with a bowl of hot soup.  Granted, I’m going to sit inside with the AC on, but I’ll look out at the hot sunny day and think about how delicious this soup is.

Chunky Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Broccoli cheese soup is a favorite of mine.  I can never eat it at a restaurant because there’s ALWAYS chicken broth in it — whyyy?  This version with vegetable broth is plenty flavorful and I question why a restaurant would want to take something that is basically vegetarian on it’s own (and therefore appeals to a wider audience/customer base), and muck it up with something that most people wouldn’t even be able to taste the difference between. Same goes for when vegetables are cooked in chicken broth or, my personal favorite WTF moment, tofu is marinated/cooked in chicken broth. Basically, chicken broth is the reason I have trust issues. No, seriously.  I will never take a restaurant’s word on if something is vegetarian, because they always neglect to think about chicken broth, and instead have a list of questions I call and ask in advance.  Crazy much? Probably.

Chunky Broccoli and Cheese Soup

But let’s just end that rant and refocus.  It just gives me an excuse to make more soup at home and eat it while watching TV in my house pants.  What are house pants, you ask? They’re pretty identical to yoga pants, but are exclusively worn while sitting on the couch or making chocolate chip cookies. I highly suggest you pick up a pair 😉 Because I know myself and how much I love cheese, I wanted to put as much broccoli in this soup as possible (you know, because enough broccoli counteracts eating ridiculous amounts of cheese, obvi), so you end up with a chunky broccoli texture throughout the soup when you blend it up, and it’s so delightful.  I served mine with a chunk of pretzel bread and I couldn’t have been happier in my house pants on the couch watching Castle.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chunky Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6
 

Ingredients
  • 4 c vegetable broth
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 5 – 6 cups of chopped broccoli
  • ~1 c chopped carrot
  • ½ c milk (any milk will work — do not let the soup boil after adding!)
  • 1 tbsp. flour (AP, whole wheat, or gluten free are fine)
  • 8 – 10 oz sharp cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat), chopped into pieces or shredded just before use
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parley garnish, optional

Instructions
  1. Combine the broth, onion, garlic, broccoli, and carrot in a medium/large pot. Cover and bring to a low boil, cooking until the vegetables are tender. About 10 – 12 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Using an immersion blender, blend to your desired consistency. You could also carefully transfer to a regular blender (watch out for hot soup!)
  3. Return to the pan, if necessary. Set at low heat. Whisk the flour and milk together in a small bowl and add to the soup. Stir to combine. Add the cheese in small batches, stirring as it melts.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste — a slightly heavier hand with the salt will make the soup taste cheesier. I garnished with parsley just before serving.
  5. Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container. Leftovers also freeze well.

Notes
You can include the stems (stalk?) from a head of fresh broccoli, but I recommend you peel off any woody parts with a vegetable peeler.
Nutritional estimate is using 10 oz of cheese.
If you want a smoother soup instead of chunky: skip the immersion blender and transfer the vegetables to a blender. Add just enough of the cooking broth to blend the vegetables to a puree-like consistency. Stir back into the broth and continue with the recipe.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1.5 c Calories: 240 Fat: 11 Carbohydrates: 15 Fiber: 3 Protein: 19

 

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6 Comments
    How to Feed a Vegetarian | Hidden Fruits and Veggies Oct 10, 2014

    […] with vegetable or mushroom broth instead of chicken or beef. Simply make that swap in soups like broccoli cheese. For soups you’d like to add ground meat or chunks of meat to, add all of the other […]

    PassTheKnife Aug 12, 2014

    I’m with you, I absolutely love soups, even in the summer! Your broccoli cheddar soup with butternut squash looks amazing too!

    Erica {Coffee & Quinoa} Aug 11, 2014

    Hah I totally have house pants… they’re usually yoga pants that have worn a little too thin and aren’t fit to be seen outside the house anymore 🙂 Our AC is always on overdrive, so I can’t think of much that would be better than eating this soup in comfy pants!

    Annie @Maebells Aug 11, 2014

    Broccoli Cheddar soup is my favorite so this looks amazing!

    marcie Aug 11, 2014

    I’m with you — I’ll eat soup any time of year! This soup looks so perfectly creamy and not too thick. It looks delicious, Kelly! 🙂

    Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health Aug 11, 2014

    I’m one of those people who doesn’t usually eat warm soup in the summer but it was surprisingly cool outside this weekend. I could have easily gone for a bowl of this! It looks delicious.
    And yes, I hate that they use chicken broth for everything at restaurants. So frustrating!