Broccoli Cheddar Soup made its appearance on another cold winter’s, I mean spring, evening. It is April, right? Well, no matter the season, this is a perfect addition to your family’s home menu or even a Meatless Monday meal option. Most of the ingredients you may already have on hand. This is so simple to make, you’ll be amazed at how quickly this can come together for a fabulously satisfying lunch or dinner with your friends and family.
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Dice a red onion finely and measure out one cup. I had a bag of shredded carrots which I used in this batch, but I would probably prefer to grate carrots to avoid them being a little too firm or crunchy in texture. Sauté these over low heat for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. I prefer red onions, but yellow onions are usually what is found in most recipes.
Melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a light-colored roux. Allow it to bubble for about a minute prior to adding the liquids.
I had a 3/4 pound bag of fresh broccoli which could be steamed in its bag in the refrigerator. After steaming it, I chopped it up and measured out 2 cups to use in the soup. The rest will be chopped for garnish.
Whisk in the chicken broth and half and half, Continue to whisk until thickened.
Stir in the broccoli and cheddar cheese until cheese is melted. Taste at this point and adjust seasonings or add more cheese, if you prefer.
Continue to stir over low heat for about 5 minutes,
Garnish with additional cheese and broccoli before serving along with some freshly grated nutmeg and your favorite crusty bread on the side. Broccoli Cheddar Soup is such a comfort food to enjoy.; it puts the needed sunshine in your life on days filled with miserable weather.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6 servings
- 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 c. red onion, finely diced
- 1 c. carrots, shredded
- 4 T. butter (1/2 stick)
- ¼ c. flour
- 2 c. half and half
- 2 c. chicken broth
- 2 c. broccoli florets, steamed, chopped, then measured~plus extra for garnish
- 1 c. sharp cheddar cheese~plus extra for garnish, from a block of cheese, not packaged shredded)
- ¾ t. Kosher salt
- ½ t. black pepper, freshly grated
- ½ t. smoked paprika
- nutmeg
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, sauté onions and carrots in olive oil until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same medium saucepan or in a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat and whisk in flour for about 1 minute or until roux is slightly bubbly.
- Whisk in chicken broth and half and half and continue to cook over medium-low heat until thickened, whisking constantly.
- Add in sauteed onions and carrots with the chopped steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.
- Stir in salt, pepper and smoked paprika and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Serve immediately and garnish with grated nutmeg, extra chopped broccoli and more cheddar cheese.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
