Broccoli Cheese Soup (from scratch)

One soup I've loved since a child is Broccoli Cheese Soup. It's always been a favourite of mine, and I was fortunate enough to discover, thanks to this recipe, that it is also one both of my children love. I stumbled across this Panera Bread copy cat recipe at Yammie's Noshery, but while I was making it discovered that I needed to tweak it to get a soup that I would like.

My biggest issue with most soup is the incredibly skimpy amount of vegetables in it. I fixed that. Below is my recipe, made multiple times and devoured by all!

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Based on this recipe from Yammie's Noshery

1/2 stick of butter (1/4c)

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1c of milk

1c of heavy cream

3c chicken stock

1/4c corn starch

1/4t nutmeg

2 bay leaves

2c chopped carrots (roughly 4 carrots)

4-6c broccoli florets (an entire bunch + some more if you desire)

3c shredded cheddar cheese

Pepper to taste

1) Sautee onions and garlic in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

2) Add the milk, cream, and stock.

3) Combine corn starch with a bit of water (or a bit extra broth) and stir until fully dissolved. Add to the pot.

4) Turn heat to medium low and add in nutmeg and bay leaves, stirring until thickened.

5) Add in the vegetables and allow to simmer until tender (roughly 30 minutes).

6) Remove bay leaves and stir in cheese until fully incorporated.

7) Serve.

This will have an excellent flavour, especially if you use homemade chicken stock. There will be no need to add any salt while cooking (or after it is served), as there is plenty of sodium in the cheese, and, as I mentioned already, there is no lack of flavour.

This recipe is easy to make, and a crowd pleaser. Definitely a win in our household! I really need to remember to make bread bowls next time, though! I don't have images of the children eating the food because I was too busy stuffing my face. The leftovers go quickly, too!

This recipe claims to serve 4, and I could see it feeding 6 adults good sized servings. If you are serving with bread bowls, I'd think it could feed 8. You will easily have leftovers to get at least one more meal out of it for 4 adults, though.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from your own. This recipe is an adaptation of one found at Yammie's Noshery.