Broccoli Cheese Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup is the epitome of comfort food! It's wonderfully cheesy, incredibly rich and creamy, and loaded with fresh broccoli in every bite.
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 carrots sliced into thin rounds
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth start with 2 cups and add more, if needed
- 1 bay leaf
- 16 ounces broccoli florets thaw if frozen
- 8 ounces low fat shredded cheddar cheese
- 0.5 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan or soup pot.
- Add onion, garlic, carrots, and salt to the melted butter and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the rest of the butter and melt.
- Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk until incorporated.
- Slowly add milk and whisk until everything is well combined and there are no clumps.
- Whisk in the chicken broth, add the bay leaf, and turn up the heat to high; bring the soup to a boil.
- Add the broccoli florets, season soup with salt and pepper, and cook the soup over medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour batches of the soup into a high-powered blender or a food processor, and process until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender.
- Return the soup to the pot; continue to cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add in the cheese and stir until melted and completely combined.
- Stir in the paprika and nutmeg. Taste the soup for salt, pepper, and seasonings, and adjust accordingly.
- Remove from heat.
- Ladle into soup bowls and serve.
Notes
This soup is best served immediately. For a thicker soup, you can add a little more cheese or a cornstarch slurry.