Creamy soups are one of the best comfort foods! This easy recipe gets its cheesy flavor from freshly grated cheese or Velveeta. Your choice! Figure in that it's homemade with fresh broccoli, and you've got a pretty healthy soup too!
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Why Choose This Recipe
- Restaurant quality, just like all my Soup Recipes
- Made from Scratch
- Easy
- Healthy (Larger size portion for less calories than Panera)
Ingredient Notes
- Butter- Both salted and unsalted butter work fine.
- White Pepper - Black pepper can be substituted; however, white pepper adds amazing flavor!
- Half & Half - found next to the coffee creamers in the dairy case, half and half is a blend of cream and milk.
- Velveeta - Any flavor of Velveeta can be used in this soup, OR you can substitute 1 ½ - 2 Cups of freshly grated cheddar.
Step by Step Instructions
- In a 4-quart soup pot, heat the butter to a sizzle.
- Add the onions and broccoli florets.
- Sauté' until the onions are translucent and the broccoli is slightly cooked.
- Add the flour and stiff until no white steaks remain.
- Add the broth a little at a time, stirring with each addition until smooth.
- Once all the broth has been added, bring a low boil and boil until the broccoli is cooked through.
- Remove the soup from the heat momentarily.
- Pour the contents of the pot into a blender, food processor, or, my favorite, a bullet blender.
- Blend until the broccoli is mostly smooth but still slightly chunky.
- Pour back into the pot and return to the heat.
- Add the Velveeta or freshly grated cheese, as noted below.
- Stir until the cheese is melted and blended in.
- Do not bring the soup back to a boil at any time after this point.
- Add the slightly warmed half and half, salt and white pepper.
- Serve!
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
1 ½ - 2 Cups of freshly grated cheddar.
After adding cheese or milk products to soups, you do not want your soup to get too hot because it causes the proteins in the cheese or milk to tighten up and squeeze out the fat causing the grainy or curdled consistency. So how hot is too hot? Soup will begin to curdle when it begins to simmer, so just be patient for the cheese to melt; keep your soup hot but not simmering. Cheese fresh off the block is better than pre-shredded. If you're using a cooking thermometer, the soup will begin to simmer at around 195 degrees. Try to keep it around 170 degrees.
Yes, you can. Cool your soup completely in the fridge. Package in airtight freezer containers or zip-lock gallon freezer bags and freeze. It's best to thaw and eat the soup within a couple of months. To avoid having grainy reheated soup, thaw your soup completely in the fridge and reheat slowly on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. For more tips on freezing and reheating frozen soup, click here!
I usually make a batch of my light, fluffy dinner rolls or a loaf of French recipe! Or try this simple green salad recipe that you can make ahead!
Have you tried this recipe? If so, leave me a rating and a comment below! And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get my latest recipes sent right to your email! You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Butter
- ½ Cup Onion chopped
- 1 lb Broccoli Florets chopped
- ¼ Cup Flour
- 5 Cups Chicken Broth
- 8 oz Velveeta Cheese See note
- 2 Cups Half and Half slightly warmed
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon White Pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a soup pot.
- Once it's sizzling, add the onion and broccoli. Sauté' for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions start to look translucent and the broccoli is just slightly cooked.
- Add the flour. Stir until no white steaks remain.
- Add the chicken broth a little at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Once all the chicken broth is added, cook at a low boil until the broccoli is tender.
- Pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the soup pot.
- Add the Velveeta to the soup and whisk until melted over low heat.
- Don't bring the soup back to a boil after this point to avoid a grainy soup.
- Add the slightly warmed half and half, salt, and white pepper.
- Heat soup until it is hot but not boiling.
Notes
- Any Velveeta flavor can be substituted for cheddar Velveeta.
- 1 ½ - 2 Cups Freshly grated cheddar cheese can be substituted for the Velveeta.
Kushigalu
This soup looks so creamy and deliicous. I cant wait to try this for my family, Thanks for sharing.
Kristen Wood
My family loved this! We can't wait to make again. 🙂
Sara Welch
Nothing like the combination of broccoli and cheese, and this is no exception! So creamy and delicious; easily, a new favorite soup recipe!
Blair
My kids absolutely love this recipe! The only way I can get in some vegetables!
Beth
I love broccoli cheese soup. It is a personal favorite of mine. This one looks a lot easier than the recipe I use.
Greg
My daughter loves this!!!