Weather: 12 degrees, winds gusting up to 43 mph
What I’m listening to: Greg Laswell
Thank you for the requests for a broccoli cheese soup recipe. I found this recipe a couple of years ago in one of my first issues of Food Network Magazine, and it was called Almost-Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup, a copycat recipe from the famous chain, Panera Bread. I have since simplified the recipe and cut the cooking time in half, but the ingredients are still the same.
I just made a big pot of the creamy, cheesy goodness and I’m excited to sit down to dinner. But first, I must dedicate this post to my longtime friend, Michelle, who has been on a quest for a broccoli cheese soup recipe for years and who has always been disappointed. I truly hope this is the one. Speaking of Michelle, her husband just wrote a young-adult fantasy/adventure novel called The Magi that is climbing up the Amazon Bestsellers list for Kindle as we speak and is receiving great reviews. Congratulations, friends! It’s moments like these that I wish we didn’t live so far apart. But, I can certainly send you this bowl of broccoli cheese love instead.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Adapted from Food Network
- 6T butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/4c flour
- 2 heads of broccoli, just florets, cut very small
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3c chicken broth (more can be added if soup is too thick in the end)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4t freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2c half-and-half
- 2 1/2c sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Warm a large pot over medium heat. Melt butter in pot and stir in onions. Cook onions 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add flour and stir until flour and butter form a paste.
Add carrots, broccoli florets, and chicken broth to pot with bay leaves, nutmeg (if you don't have fresh nutmeg, then just skip this step), and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and cook until carrots and broccoli are tender, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add half-and-half and grated cheddar. Stir until cheese is melted and soup is smooth. Remove bay leaves and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately (once you've added the cream and cheese, do not allow soup to come back to a boil or you run the risk of having the soup separate, causing a grainy texture). Note: if you like your broccoli cheddar soup sans chunks, blend before serving.