I could eat soup every day. In fact, I get made fun of at work for eating soup every day for lunch. It is mostly because I don’t take the time to plan ahead, and I wake up about 10 minutes before I walk out the door, but it is also because I just really love soup.
I don’t mind canned soup. I think it is pretty delicious actually. I’m always happy with a bowl of chicken noodle, but broccoli cheddar is definitely my favorite! This easy homemade broccoli cheddar is about 10 times better than the canned version, and for sure worth the time.
This soup is so quick and easy to get on the table for a weeknight. It is also PACKED with broccoli! I had a lot of broccoli left over at the bottom of my bowl which I happily finished on its own. It is nice to feel like you are getting some extra veggies with your cheese. Actually, this soup only has 1 cup of shredded cheese so you really don’t need to feel guilty! I use a white cheddar in the soup and a regular sharp cheddar for garnish.
You must serve it with a crusty piece of buttered bread! Let your bread sit in the soup for a while to soak up all that creamy cheesy goodness. That softened soupy bread is no doubt the best part of the meal.
Some tips for making broccoli cheddar soup
You will want to remove the stems from the broccoli. You actually could use them in the soup if you peeled them first. You could slice the peeled stems and add them in with the onion and carrot to soften. I just don’t have the patience. I use the florets only. Chop them into smaller pieces so they will cook faster and the final soup is easier to eat. You could always get wild and puree the soup in a blender at the end if you wanted to switch things up!
I used about two teaspoons of kosher salt for this recipe, but salt really needs to be to taste. The saltiness can vary quite a bit by the type of salt you are using and the brand of chicken broth. When making anything, I add about 1/2 teaspoon at a time and continue to cook and taste until I get it just right.
This soup can be varied quite a bit and will still turn out delicious, so feel free to play around. Add more cheese, use cream cheese instead of sour cream, add hot sauce while you are cooking, just get crazy. What I love most about cooking is adapting on the fly and turning a recipe into my own. This recipe is great as is, but turn up the music and just have fun creating something delicious.
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
On the table in 30 minutes. This creamy homemade soup packed with broccoli and cheddar is everything your heart desires on a cool weather weeknight!
Ingredients
The soup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup freshly shredded white cheddar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Garnish:
- freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- your favorite toasted bread
- chopped parsley
- hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven.
- Add the diced onion, carrot, a pinch of salt, and cook stirring often until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute until aromatic.
- Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Slowly add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time and allow it to warm through after each addition.
- Repeat step 5 with the milk.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, add your chopped broccoli florets, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add salt, pepper, and cayenne. I recommend adding salt in small increments until it is seasoned to your taste.
- Allow the soup to simmer until the broccoli is fork tender, then stir in the shredded cheese and sour cream. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Garnish with shredded sharp cheddar, parsley, hot sauce if desired and serve with a toasted piece of bread.
Notes
- No worries if you don’t have low sodium chicken broth! I try to use low sodium so I have a little more control over the saltiness, but it isn’t necessary. You will just want to adjust the amount of salt you are adding to taste.
- This soup is PACKED with broccoli. You could easily cut the amount by up to 1/2 if you wanted a less dense soup.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
Keywords: broccoli cheddar soup
This recipe is so so good! The whole family loved it! ????
Yay!! So great to hear. Now I’m craving a bowl ???? thank you for all the recipe love this week!