Broccoli And Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
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- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces onion – finely chopped (~1.5 medium onions)
- 5 ounces carrot – coarsely grated (~2.5 medium carrots)
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 pound broccoli – stems peeled and diced, florets chopped small (~2 medium broccolis)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese – coarsely grated
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoons black pepper – freshly ground
- 1/8 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- sharp cheddar cheese – coarsely grated (for serving)
- chives – finely sliced (for serving)
Instructions
1. Prep the vegetables and cheese: Finely chop the onion, coarsely grate the carrot, mince the garlic, and prepare the broccoli by peeling and dicing the stems and chopping the florets small. Coarsely grate the cheddar and set aside to warm slightly while you start the soup.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 5–7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
3. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it loses its raw smell, about 2 minutes.
4. Gradually whisk in the vegetable broth until smooth, then whisk in the milk. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring often so the bottom doesn’t scorch.
5. Add the diced broccoli stems and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in the broccoli florets and simmer until all the broccoli is tender but still bright green, 5–7 minutes.
6. Partially puree for texture: Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to puree about half the soup, leaving plenty of pieces for bite. (Alternatively, carefully blend about 2 cups in a blender until smooth, then return it to the pot.)
7. Stir in the heavy cream. Reduce heat to low and season with the salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Let the soup drop just below a simmer so it’s hot but not boiling.
8. Take the pot off the heat. Add the grated cheddar in small handfuls, stirring after each addition until fully melted and smooth, 2–3 minutes total. If needed, return to low heat briefly, but do not let it boil.
9. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little extra grated cheddar and the sliced chives. Serve hot.
Broccoli and cheddar soup is a creamy, comforting bowl that balances the gentle sweetness of cooked onion and carrot with the savory tang of sharp cheddar. Tender broccoli provides both flavor and texture, with a mix of silky body and small pieces for bite. The result is rich but not heavy, with a spoon-coating consistency and a clean finish that invites crusty bread alongside.
This soup is a quintessential American diner and cafe staple, evolving from earlier cream-of-vegetable soups and cheese-based sauces like Welsh rarebit. It gained wide popularity in the late twentieth century through restaurants and cafeterias, where the combination of broccoli and cheddar became a mainstay. Today it remains a weeknight favorite and a soup-counter classic, recognizable for its orange-flecked broth, shredded carrot, and gentle seasoning.