Make this easy restaurant quality Broccoli Cheese Soup in your own kitchen! Includes my #1 soup making tip that takes soup to the next level!
It is officially soup season. Ok, so it’s probably not an official thing, but I declare it to be soup season. From September to March I usually make some sort of soup once a week. Broccoli cheese soup is my youngest daughter’s absolute favorite, so I make it once a month or so. This soup only takes 30 to 40 minutes to prepare making it ideal for a busy weeknight. Plus, I will share my number one, most important soup making tip with you. Trust me, doing this one thing changes a good soup to a restaurant quality soup.
How to make broccoli cheese soup:
I’m sure you’re dying to know what my #1 soup making tip is and why it’s supposedly so amazing right? When I went to culinary school they taught us one simple thing to do when making a soup that sadly most people don’t know about. Technically, it’s called sweating your vegetables. In a nutshell it’s sauteing your vegetables until they’re half cooked before adding them to your soup, with half or less butter or oil than you normally would use to saute’ something. This brings out the flavor of the vegetables and half cooks them which decreases the amount of time your soup needs to cook. I know it sounds too good to be true, but just try doing this and see for yourself! So let’s get started!
- Start by melting the butter in a soup pot. Once the butter is sizzling add the chopped onions and broccoli pieces. Don’t stress about having the onions or broccoli cut in perfectly uniform nice pieces. This will be going into the blender so just rough cut them into similarly sized pieces. Allow the onions and broccoli to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The onions will start to look a little translucent and the broccoli should just be slightly cooked.
- Add the flour all at once to the veggies. Stir until all the flour is incorporated with the onions and broccoli. Add the chicken broth a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Once all the chicken broth has been added, boil until the broccoli is tender.
- Pour the soup into a blender and process until the soup is smooth. Pour back into the soup pot.
- Turn the heat on your stove top down to low and add the Velveeta. Whisk until it is melted and blended well into the soup.
- After the Velveeta is melted, whisk in the salt, white pepper and slightly warmed half and half. If you want a richer soup you can substitute the half of the half and half with whipping cream instead. Heat the soup until is hot, but not boiling.
- Remove from the heat, cool slightly and serve!
Common questions about broccoli cheese soup:
What goes good with broccoli cheese soup?
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!
Why is my broccoli cheese soup grainy or curdling?
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 is begins to simmer, so just be patient for the cheese to melt, keep your soup hot but not simmering. If you’re using a cooking thermometer, soup will begin to simmer at around 195 degrees. Try to keep it around 170 degrees.
How do you add cheese to soup without curdling?
In this particular recipe I use velveeta because it melts smoothly. However, if you were to substitute real cheese or make a soup with real cheese in it you would want to add the cheese in a few small additions instead of all at once. I also don’t recommend pre-shredded cheeses for soups because it doesn’t melt as well. Cheese of the block is much better.
Can you freeze homemade cream of broccoli cheese soup?
Yes, you can. Cool your soup completely in the fridge. Package in airtight freezer containers or ziploc gallon freezer bags and freeze. It’s best to thaw and eat the soup within a couple months. Too 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.
Fall is right around the corner so if you are looking for more delicious homemade soup recipes then check out these:
The Best Cream of Mushroom Soup
Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup
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Make this easy restaurant quality Broccoli Cheese Soup in your own kitchen! Includes my #1 soup making tip that takes soup to the next level!
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1/2 Cup chopped (Onion)
- 1 lb . Broccoli Florets (chopped)
- 1/4 Cup Flour
- 5 Cups Chicken Broth
- 8 oz Velveeta Cheese
- 2 Cups Half and Half (slightly warmed)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a soup pot. Once it’s sizzling add the onion and broccoli. Cook 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.
- Add the slightly warmed half and half, salt, and white pepper. Heat soup until it is hot, but not boiling. (If you bring the soup back to a boil after the half and half has been added, it will break and be grainy.) Serve and enjoy!
Keywords: Broccoli soup, cheese soup, cream soup
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