Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This broccoli cheddar soup recipe is an incredibly rich and comforting soup! It's a family favorite that uses everyday ingredients and is so simple to make at home.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken broth or use veg broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 3 cups broccoli florets cut small
- 1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese + extra for serving
- Pinch cayenne pepper optional but recommended
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often (important! This helps get rid of that uncooked flour flavor).
- Whisk the chicken broth in (pour it in slowly) until the flour has dissolved.
- Whisk in the Dijon mustard.
- Add in the cream, broccoli, and carrots. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat so it's bubbling but not furiously boiling (medium-low heat is what works with my cast iron pot and gas stove). Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar.
- Let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender and the soup has thickened up to your liking. I like to stir it a couple of times to ensure nothing is sticking and that the stove's temperature is still correct.
- Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the cheese and cook for an additional few minutes.
- Add in the cayenne pepper and season with salt & pepper as needed. Optional: blend some of the soup (I just pulse my immersion blender a few times right in the pot). The soup will thicken up more as it cools. Add more broth if needed to thin it out.
- Serve immediately with a little extra cheddar on top of each bowl.
Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- I suggest grating your own cheddar cheese (buy a good quality sharp cheddar) vs. using the pre-grated bagged stuff or it won't melt as well or taste as good.
- If you don't have matchstick carrots, thinly slice one small carrot.
- One pound of broccoli, once cut up, will easily yield the 3 cups of florets required for this recipe.
- If you're looking for the original version of this recipe that was published in 2018, I have a PDF of it here (the old version was very similar in flavor but I tweaked it to make it thicker).
- This recipe can also be found in the soup chapter of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 1384mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4899IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 508mg | Iron: 2mg
