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My dad’s friend is always giving us leftover broccoli from the restaurant he works at.  There’s nothing wrong with the broccoli, they’re just too small to be used in any of the restaurant dishes.

 

With our abundance of broccoli florets I’ve made crustless broccoli quiche, plain steamed broccoli, and fed our chickens anything leftover.

To change it up I chose to make a creamy broccoli and cheese soup.

 

 

This recipe was crazy easy. I made it about four times last month.

 

Chop up one medium sized onion, peel and chop two medium sized carrots, and mince two cloves of garlic.

 

In a medium saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté the onion for 3 minutes. Add in the carrots and garlic. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the onion, carrot, garlic mixture from the pan and set aside.

 

 

In the same saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter. Once melted, gradually whisk in 1/4 cup flour. Whisk constantly over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes to cook the flour.

 

 

 

Gradually whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock into the flour mixture. Then whisk in 2 cups of milk.

 

Allow the broccoli and cheese soup base to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chop up 3 cups of broccoli into bite-sized pieces. The broccoli breaks down even more in the soup so if you like it chunky chop up your broccoli into slightly bigger pieces. I like my soup on the creamier side so I do a 1 inch chop.

 

Add the chopped broccoli, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the onion/carrot mixture to the soup base.

 

 

Simmer the broccoli and cheese soup on low for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Slowly stir in 8 ounces of grated, sharp cheddar cheese to the soup.

 

 

Once the cheese is completely melted try the soup and adjust the seasoning if desired. Serve immediately.

 

 

Garnish with some shredded cheese on top. Serve alone or with a good piece of crusty bread!

 

BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk (can substitute with half & half)

3 cups broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

 

1. In a medium saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter. Sauté the onion for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add in the carrots and garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Remove mixture from pan and set aside.

2. In the same saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add flour and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Gradually whisk in chicken stock. Gradually whisk in milk. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add broccoli, onion/carrot mixture, and salt to the soup. Simmer an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Gradually add in the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Serve immediately.

This creamy broccoli and cheese soup recipe is so easy and fun to play with. I’ve also used Colby jack and cheddar cheese and it came out really good too!