Broccoli Cheddar Soup

The leaves are falling off the trees, and for me that means it’s soup season! Here’s my recipe for broccoli and cheddar soup. Obviously I’m biased, but I have to say that this is the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten it lots of places over the years. If you would also like to make your own bread bowls you can reference this recipe that I posted previously…

Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8tbsp (1 stick) Unsalted Butter
2c Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/4c All Purpose Flour
2c Half & Half
4c Chicken Stock
2 Bay Leaves
1/4tsp Nutmeg
1 1/2tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
4c Broccoli Florets
1/2c Carrot, diced
1/4c Grated Parmesan Cheese
8oz Shredded Sharp Cheddar, 6oz for soup/2oz for garnish
8oz Sour Cream
2tbsp Fresh Chive, chopped, for garnish

In a large pot melt the butter at medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, along with 1/2tsp of salt, cook until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until a light golden color, stirring frequently, approximately 3 minutes. Add the half and half, whisk until smooth. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, nutmeg, salt and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring periodically. Discard the bay leaves, add the broccoli florets and diced carrot, continue to cook uncovered on medium-low for 35 minutes, stirring periodically. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, if you do not have one then puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender. You want it smooth, but you still want some small chunks of broccoli and carrot. Add the sour cream, 6oz of shredded cheddar and the grated parmesan, cook uncovered on medium-low for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

That’s it, you’re done! Serve in a bread bowl or regular bowl, and garnish it with the remaining shredded sharp cheddar and the chopped chive, then dig in. Comfort food doesn’t get much better than this!

Oh yeah, and if you have any leftover soup the next day it makes a great sauce for pasta, especially with some sausage.

Bon appétit!