Broccoli and Cheddar Soup Recipe
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Broccoli and cheese are to soup what peanut butter and jelly are to sandwiches. Adding potato and sour cream gives this hearty winter soup a creamy texture with a touch of tang.
This recipe was featured as part of our Winter Ingredients photo gallery.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 pounds broccoli (about 1 large head)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, medium dice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium russet potato (about 8 ounces)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 5 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Remove the florets from the broccoli head and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Place half in a large bowl and half in a small bowl; set aside. Cut off the bottom of the stalk and use a vegetable peeler to trim away the woody outer layer. Cut the stalk into 1-inch pieces and place them in the large bowl with the florets; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the potato and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Add the potato, chicken broth, water, and reserved pieces of stalk and florets from the large bowl to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potato pieces and broccoli stalks can be easily pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the remaining florets into 1/4-inch pieces; set aside.
- Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off). Place the blended soup in a clean saucepan and return it to low heat. Add the reserved broccoli florets and simmer until they are tender and can easily be pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese and sour cream. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Great recipe!
8 ounces of cooked rice instead of the potato makes for a less gloppy reheat (potato starch isn't as smooth as rice starch). And I'm with ski_gpsy on adding garlic with the onions!
For a quicker fix, I use a can of well-rinsed Cannelini beans instead of the potato. Since I'm lowering my sodium intake wherever possible, I omit the salt but add 3 large minced cloves garlic for flavor to the sauteing onions, and 2Tbs Sherry to the liquids. I also add a little kick of hot sauce like Cholula or Tabasco (I personally use Thai Sambal Olekek...with caution!)to kick-start my fat burning metabolism and make a typically cholesterol laden soup health promoting. *Note; If I accidently go too heavy on the hot sauce, then I add that new fat free half-and-half (is that an oxymoron?) because dairy neutralizes the fiery heat of chili's capsaicin.