Broccoli Cheese Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Serving Size 8

Ingredients

For the soup base:

1 stick ½ cup butter
1 medium onion diced (sweet, yellow, or white — whatever you have)
2-3 cloves garlic minced (or 1–2 good squeezes from a tube)
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk

For the broccoli and cheese:

24 oz frozen broccoli two 12 oz bags, thawed and well drained
1 medium carrot diced fine or shredded
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (plus extra for topping)
A splash of heavy cream

Seasonings:

1 tsp salt plus more to taste — you'll likely need about ¾ tsp more
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp smoked paprika regular paprika works too, or leave it out if you prefer

Optional toppings:

Extra shredded cheddar
Croutons

Instructions

Start with the butter and onion. Melt one stick of butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-low heat. Add your diced onion and let it cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften. You don't want the pan too hot here — especially with a Dutch oven, once it gets hot it stays hot, so starting low gives you more control.
Add the garlic. Give it 1–2 good squeezes of minced garlic (or your chopped fresh garlic) and let it cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Just enough to wake up the flavor.
Build the roux. Sprinkle in 1 cup of flour, stirring as you go. It's going to look thick and a little bit like wet sand — and that's exactly what you want. Let this cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring so it doesn't stick.
Add the chicken broth. Pour in your 4 cups of chicken broth and switch to a whisk. This will help break up all those flour pieces. Don't worry if it looks lumpy at first — keep whisking and it will smooth right out and start to thicken.
Add the carrots, milk, and seasonings. Stir in your diced or shredded carrot, 2 cups of milk, and all of your seasonings — salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Give it all a good stir and keep the heat on medium-low.
Prep the broccoli while the soup base simmers. Place your frozen broccoli in a colander and run hot water over it to thaw. Then press it with paper towels to get out as much water as possible. This is an important step — if the broccoli is too wet, it'll make your soup watery. Take an extra minute here and you'll be glad you did.
Add the broccoli, cream, and cheese. Stir in the drained broccoli, a splash of heavy cream, and your 3 cups of sharp cheddar. Turn the heat to low, put the lid on, and let everything simmer together for about 20–30 minutes. Come back and stir it 2–3 times during this period to keep it from sticking, especially after you've added the cheese.
Taste and adjust. Here's a tip — because we're adding broccoli and carrots to what was originally a cream of chicken soup recipe, you'll probably need a bit more salt than the base recipe calls for. I went back and added about another ¾ teaspoon. Just taste it and trust your own palate.
Serve it up. Ladle into bowls and top with a little extra shredded cheese and some croutons. That's it — thick, creamy, cheesy broccoli soup that your whole family is going to love.

Notes

A note on the broccoli: I left mine in nice big chunks because that's how we like it. But if you prefer a smoother soup, you can chop the broccoli into smaller pieces before adding it, or use an immersion blender at the end to break it down. Either way works great.