Broccoli Cheddar Soup That Beats the Bread Bowl

There is one week every September where Kansas City cannot decide what it wants to be. Monday it is 88 degrees and the kids come home from school damp and cranky. Thursday morning I am standing in the driveway in a hoodie wondering where my scraper went. My grocery list gets very confused during this week.

This is the soup that shows up the second the air turns. It is one pot, it is done in about 45 minutes, and it tastes like the version you stand in line for at the mall, except you are in your own kitchen wearing slippers and nobody is asking if you want that in a bread bowl. I have made it enough times now that I stopped measuring the cheese, which is either confidence or a cry for help.

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Why you will love this one

It is genuinely one pot. I use a 6 quart enameled Dutch oven because it holds heat steady, which matters a lot once the cheese goes in, but any heavy soup pot works.

It hides vegetables in plain sight. My kids will eat four cups of broccoli in soup form and zero cups of broccoli in broccoli form. I have made peace with this.

It is cheap. A head of broccoli, a block of cheddar, a carrot, and pantry basics feed six people. In a month where school fees keep showing up in my inbox, that is not nothing.

And it reheats beautifully, which means Tuesday lunch is already handled.

What you need

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped small, about 1 large head
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated from a block, about 2 packed cups

One note I will die on. Grate the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheddar is coated in starch so it does not clump in the bag, and that same coating is what turns cheese soup grainy and sad. A decent box grater costs less than a bad bowl of soup and takes two minutes.

How to make it

1. Melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the onion 4 to 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly for one full minute. It looks like wet sand and that is correct. This is the step that keeps the soup from tasting like raw flour, so set a timer if you have to.
3. Slowly whisk in the half and half, then the broth. Bring it to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
4. Add the broccoli, carrot, salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Simmer uncovered 15 to 20 minutes until the broccoli is very tender and the soup has thickened.
5. If you want it smoother, pulse an immersion blender in the pot two or three times. Stop early. Leave the texture. Nobody wants green pudding.
6. Turn the heat to low and stir in the cheddar one handful at a time, letting each one melt before the next. Do not boil it after the cheese goes in.
7. Taste, salt until it pops, and serve.

Tips, swaps, and making it ahead

Low and slow after the cheese. If the soup boils once the cheddar is in, the proteins tighten up and squeeze the fat out, and you get a greasy, curdled pot. Every broken cheese soup I have ever made was me being impatient at exactly this moment.

It is thicker than you want? Good. Thin it with broth a splash at a time. It always tightens as it sits, so a soup that looks slightly loose in the pot will be perfect in the bowl.

Make it heartier. Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken, or dump in a cup of cooked small pasta at the end. My youngest calls that version mac and cheese soup and I let her.

Make it ahead. You can make it up through step 5 a day early, refrigerate, then reheat gently and add the cheese right before serving. That is my move when I am hosting and do not want to be stirring a pot while people are arriving.

Do not freeze it. I have tried. Dairy soups separate and the texture never comes back. Four days in the fridge is the honest answer.

Serve it in something with a handle if you can. I am a little obsessed with ceramic soup crocks because they keep it hot and they make a Tuesday feel slightly more on purpose.

Quick recipe details

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Total time: 45 minutes
• Servings: 6 bowls
• Storage: Airtight in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat low with a splash of broth. Does not freeze well.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Creamy, cheesy broccoli cheddar soup that comes together in one pot in about 45 minutes. All the comfort of the bread bowl version, made in your own kitchen.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6 bowls

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half and half whole milk works, it is just less rich
• 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped small about 1 large head
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated from a block about 2 packed cups

Method

 

1. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the top and whisk constantly for a full minute. It will look like wet sand. This step is what keeps the soup from tasting like raw flour, so do not rush it.
3. Slowly pour in the half and half while whisking, then whisk in the broth. Bring it up to a gentle simmer, not a hard boil.
4. Add the broccoli, shredded carrot, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and nutmeg. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the broccoli is very tender and the soup has thickened.
5. If you like a smoother soup, pulse an immersion blender in the pot two or three times. Leave plenty of texture. Nobody wants green pudding.
6. Turn the heat down to low. Add the grated cheddar one handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding more. Do not let the soup boil once the cheese is in.
7. Taste and add salt until it pops. Thin with a splash of broth if it is thicker than you want. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Notes

Grate the cheddar yourself from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch to keep it from clumping, and that coating is exactly what makes cheese soup turn grainy.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat low and slow with a splash of broth. This one does not freeze well, dairy soups separate.

The takeaway

Some recipes are projects. This one is a reset button. Forty five minutes, one pot, and suddenly the house smells like fall and everyone is sitting down at the same time, which in September is basically a miracle.

If you make it, tell me what you added. I am always looking for a reason to put more things in soup, so drop it in the comments.

So glad you are here.

xo, Pam