Broccoli Cheese Soup
March 29, 2015
4 Comments
I was in New Hampshire last week.
It was -25 degrees out.
DC just dropped from 70 to 40 degrees.
That’s it – I’m making soup!
Today I’m sharing a creamy, cheesy, healthy broccoli soup recipe. Yes, you heard me right. This soup is creamy. This soup is cheesy. And this soup is healthy!
The secret – I add potato to the broth! It gives the soup a rich thickness without all the fat and calories of heavy cream. This soup has all the creamy comfort of winter food with the calories to match your upcoming summer wardrobe. A win-win for any cool spring day.
Are you still digging yourself out of winter or has spring sprung for you? I’m hoping DC will transition from the lion to the lamb sometime soon – there are only three days of March left after all.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
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1 ½ lb broccoli florets cut into bit sized pieces
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1 russet potato pealed and diced
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1 onion finely diced
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4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
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2 cups of water
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1 cup of whole milk
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4 tablespoons butter divided
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¼ cup flour
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6 ounces by weight about 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese shredded
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salt and pepper to taste
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dash of nutmeg
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1 cup of fat free unsweetened, plain greek yogurt
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Extra shredded cheese for sprinkling
Instructions
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In a large pot over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onion and cook until slightly brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth and water, stirring until it comes to a boil. Add broccoli, nutmeg, salt and pepper and simmer until broccoli and potato are tender, about 10 minutes.
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Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk milk and flour together. Slowly pour milk-flour mixture into melted butter, whisking constantly. Add to soup and let simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
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Puree soup with an emersion blender or in batches in a blender. If using a blender only fill blender less than half way and remove the center hole in the cover. This will release steam and ensure your blender lid doesn’t pop off.
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Once you are done pureeing the soup, return the soup to the pot and turn the heat on low. Stir in cheese until melted. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
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Place 1-2 tablespoons of greek yogurt in each bowl. Pour a serving of soup into each bowl over the yogurt and serve. Tell guests to give the soup a stir before they dig in!
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Top with cheese and enjoy!
CC
It’s been awhile since I perused your blog and tried a recipe…I’m so glad I did! Because of what I had on hand, I used 2 small Yukon gold potatoes and added two cloves of garlic to the onion-potato sautee. This was simply delicious! Hope you’re doing well, and thanks again for the recipes! 😀
Karen
Hi CC! I’m delighted you found another recipe you enjoyed on the site! Soup is such a wonderful meal. I was buried under a foot of snow this past week, and a piping hot bowl of broccoli cheese soup would have really hit the spot 🙂
Mary
If you were to make this for four, would you still use a whole potato?
Karen
Hi Mary! Thanks for the question. I think you can go either way on this one. The recipe is pretty robust, since the potato doesn’t add any flavor to the soup. I’d probably use a whole potato, so I didn’t have half a potato left. If the soup comes out too thick, add a little extra water or broth after blending. Let me know what you decide to do and how it goes 🙂