🥦 Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 2 cups milk or half & half
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- Butter
- 1/2 cup flour (pantry staple)
- Salt & pepper (pantry staple)
Instructions
- Soften onion in butter; whisk in flour, then broth and milk.
- Add chopped broccoli and grated carrot; simmer 15 min.
- Off heat, stir in cheddar until silky. Season well.
Tips
- Take the pot off the heat before the cheese goes in, and add it a handful at a time. Cheese added to boiling soup splits into grainy strings — this is the mistake that ruins this soup.
- Grate the cheddar yourself. Pre-shredded is coated in cellulose to stop it clumping, and that coating makes the soup grainy.
- Cook the flour in the butter for a full minute before adding liquid. Raw flour tastes pasty and you'll notice it in a soup this simple.
Substitutions
- Cheddar
- Sharp or extra-sharp has far more flavour than mild and you need it here. Gruyère is excellent. Pre-grated anything is a false economy.
- Milk or half & half
- Whole milk is the minimum for body. Evaporated milk is very stable and resists splitting. Plant milks work — choose unsweetened and unflavoured.
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower makes an equally good soup with the same method. Use the broccoli stems too — peeled and diced, they're sweeter than the florets.
- Flour
- A cornstarch slurry for gluten-free, added at the end rather than the start.
Storage & reheating
Keeps 3 days refrigerated. Reheat gently over low heat and never boil, or the cheese splits. Freezing isn't recommended — dairy and cheese soups separate on thawing and don't recombine well.
Common questions
Why did my soup go grainy?
The cheese hit soup that was too hot, or it was pre-shredded. Off the heat, a handful at a time, freshly grated.
How do I make it smoother?
Blend part of it before adding the cheese. Panera-style versions are partly puréed with some broccoli left whole.
Can I make it lighter?
Use whole milk instead of half and half and rely on the roux for body. Cutting the fat too far leaves it thin, since fat carries most of the flavour.