Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli Cheddar soup totally reminds me of growing up. It even looks like it belongs in the 70’s and 80’s! I have memories of my mom making this soup, and just on the principal that broccoli had become soup, we would all go scampering away! But that’s kids for you!

I got this broccoli cheddar stuck in my brain a few months ago as the winter broccoli began to pile up in my vegetable bin. Like what on earth am I going to do with all this freaking broccoli?! (My answer to vegetable overload is almost always soup!!)

Then, the other day, one of my readers mentioned that she had whipped up a batch- I took it as a sign! I called my mom- she gave me rough instructions and I went to work.

Turns out, broccoli cheddar soup is really delicious! I actually chose to puree it so that it was left with a little texture, versus getting it really smooth. I love how the little florets held their crunch, even after all of the cooking. And when you whisk in the cheese, it just gets a little creamier and builds a wonderful cheesy flavor.

And for the record- my 15month old scarffed down a bowl, (even if she fed it to herself with her hands and then rubbed it in her hair, and finally dropped the bowl on the ground so that the remnants splattered onto every single cabinet surface in the kitchen ☺)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
1 yellow onion, large dice
1 Tbs olive oil
2 medium russet potatoes, large dice
8 cups broccoli, stems and florets, sliced and chopped
8 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp)
Kosher salt and pepper

In a soup pot, heat 1 Tbs of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and let sweat until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes. They will immediately soak up the oil and moisture in the pot, so I like to add about ¼ cup of water to keep thinks moist and to stir up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Sprinkle the onions and potatoes with a bit of kosher salt and stir to combine.

Add the broccoli and stir to combine.

Add the stock to the pot.

Put a lid on the pot and turn the heat to low.

Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender. (Now I chose the hand blender instead of the big blender, because I liked that the soup was NOT velvety smooth. With the hand blender, you still get some texture left behind. When I eat the soup, there are still the little crunchy broccoli florets that crunch in your teeth- I like that!)