Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 42 g butter (unsalted)
- 1 c chopped onion
- 2 t chopped garlic
- 1.5 lb broccoli florets (chopped into 1/2" pieces)
- 4 c chicken broth
- 1 c whipping cream (or heavy cream)
- 1/4 t ground nutmeg
- 3 c shredded cheddar cheese (mild)
- salt (to taste)
- cayenne pepper (to taste)
Method
1. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peeled broccoli stems (if using) and cook until bright green and just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Add florets, cream, and nutmeg; simmer until florets are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Puree soup in two batches in blender until smooth; return to pot and bring to simmer over medium heat. Stir in cheddar until melted, and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Serve, garnished with extra cheese.
(Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat until hot, but do not boil or cheese will separate.)
Notes
Notes from Source: Broccoli and cheese soup is classic comfort food, but many recipes yield gloppy, glorified cheese sauce or a mess of bland, gray vegetables. We wanted a Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup recipe that tasted like fresh, bright green broccoli. Cooking the fibrous broccoli stems until they were soft, then adding cream and broccoli florets, ensured our recipe had the most broccoli flavor. The florets didn’t overcook and retained their bright color and fresh flavor. Adding the cheddar cheese at the end of cooking kept it from clumping and separating. Taste the soup before adding any salt; both the cheese and the chicken broth can be quite salty.