Despite the fact that it has been a little warmer out lately, I have still been craving soups and I recently realized that it had been a very long time since I last made one of my favourite soups, a broccoli and cheddar soup. The broccoli and cheddar flavour combination is a really good one that I never tire of reinventing in different dishes but this soup is one that I keep coming back to again and again. Since this soup is so simple it is a good idea to use quality ingredients including roasted broccoli, a nice homemade vegetable broth or chicken broth a nice quality aged cheddar. Roasting vegetables concentrates and brings out their flavours and the intensified broccoli flavours from the roasted broccoli goes beautifully well in this soup. This roasted broccoli and aged cheddar soup is super easy to make and yet it is so bursting with flavour that it is bound to satisfy! One last thing that I like to do with this soup is to add a tablespoon of grainy mustard which goes particularly nicely with the broccoli and cheddar flavour combination.
Serve garnished with bacon and grainy mustard to kick things up a bit.
Make without the bacon for a really nice vegetarian soup!
Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
A creamy broccoli and cheddar soup with the concentrated flavour of roasted broccoli.
ingredients
- 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or chicken stock or ham broth
- 1 1/2 cups aged cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Toss the broccoli florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper, arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth and broccoli, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with a stick blender.
- Mix in the cheese, let it melt without bringing it to boil again.
- Mix in the milk and mustard, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Option: If you like a thicker, creamier and healthier soup use pureed white beans instead of the milk or cream.
Option: Start the soup out by cooking 4 strips of bacon, use the grease to cook the vegetables instead of the oil and serve the soup garnished with the crumbled bacon.
Option: Add diced ham.
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Wow, this sounds delicious! What a great idea to add pureed beans to thicken it up. I would never have thought to do add that to a cheese-based soup!
I've always found soup to be an any weather type meal.
I love soup all year round! I live on the coast and the summers are actually cooler than the winters at times so soup always works for me!!!
Soup is always wonderful, whether it is cold or hot outside. This broccoli and cheddar is not only decadent but incredibly comforting. Looks great, Kevin.
WaW,…a tasty & very special soup, Kevin!!
Georgous too,….mmmmmmmm!
A special combo of grand flavours!
A delightful soup! Those are two of my favorite ingredients!
Cheers,
Rosa
I love how you hide beans in this recipe! Possibly the only way I could get my father to eat them.
Plus it looks creamy, cheesy and fantastic. Can't go wrong there.
We are still in the inbetween stages of the seasons clinging on to comfort foods but really wanting to BBQ. This soup is one of my favourites.
I have been wanting to purchase an immersion blender for well over ayear now … it would make blending soups so much easier, but I have yet to get it. This soup looks wonderful and I love everything about it from the broccoli to the cheddar to the beans … and those yummy croutons take it above and beyond.
I was just thinking tonight about cooking a broccoli soup. This cheddar idea really great and its sounds superb! This soup will go wonderful with the bread. And I will be using by real, thick, cream!
Best Regards,
Hi,
Please come by my blog and pick up your Beautiful Blogger Award.
Love,
Herrad
Hi Kevin. I am really intrigued that you used white beans to thicken a broccoli cheese soup. I like the idea of adding the healthful benefits but wouldn't the texture be a little grainy or off in some way?
LOL…I was making croutons the other evening while doing about 5 other things to get dinner ready. I was sauteing asparagus when I noticed a slightly smoky smell in the air. "Hmmm…" I thought, "the asparagus don't look like they are burning, but I'll take them off the stove." I continue to cook dinner until the smoke alarms all over the house start going off. It was then that I realized I had forgotten the croutons! I pulled out lumps of charcoal on a baking pan from the oven and put them out on the back stoop to air out a little. Oops! Yours look lovely.
I LOVE cheddar & broc soup! What an inventive idea with the beans…and healthy/fiberous.
Kevin, this soup is absolutely wonderful. 🙂 I've been craving something like this the last two weeks but couldn't find a recipe that was "just right." This is perfection and I can't wait to try it. 🙂
You have such a gift for making even simple food look gourmet.
I was just thinking of making broccoli soup, and the beans would be a nice way to change it up!
What a great idea to use beans as a thickener. This soup looks delicious!
It's funny. I was reading this post and you mentioned typical thickeners and I started to think of a broccoli cheddar soup I made once that used white beans as a thickener. Then I kept reading and you had the exact same idea! Soups like this are a great way to get your veggies in and still feel really satisfied.
I love the beans instead of cream. My family has been asking about making this soup…grand timing.
Broccoli Cheddar is my very favorite soup and yours looks so tasty. I love the beans you snuck in to thicken it up too!
I love brocolli and cheddar soup. This one sound fabulous, can't wait to try it.
Danielle: The pureed beans were nice and smooth rather than grainy and I quite enjoyed the texture of the broth.
The beans pureed are a really good idea, i'll have to try that
I just looked at four recipes, you have posted and I want to make all four. I am going to start with the broccoli soup because I am still in soup mode.
Thanks for having such interesting recipes.
I've just scrolled down and seen your broccoli soup recipe – it sounds really delicious. I usually make mine with broccoli (obviously!), spinach and onion plus lowfat soft cheese. Sometimes I change it up and use cauliflower and leeks instead.
I'm very into healthy low fat low salt low GI recipes, so I really like your idea for using beans as a thickener. I often bulk up soups with pureed aubergines (I have them growing in my garden, so usually have excess). I'll be back.
This reminds me of my low-fat version of broccoli and cheese soup using the same bean concept to cut out the cream.
I like the idea of using pureed beans instead of flour to thicken the soup. But I make my croutons dry, just toss them on a non-stick skillet, because otherwise they soak up all the grease and are too heavy for my taste.
Just made this! Easy and delicious. I couldn't stop eating it.
When do you add the mustard? Should that go in at the end with the cheese or earlier?
Anonymous: Yes, you add the mustard at the end with the cheese. Thanks for pointing that out!
I love this soup! Seriously, one of my favorites!
I received an immersion blender for Christmas, so I've been anxious to use it. I have a question, though. Am I missing something somewhere about the beans?? I can't find anywhere where it says to add beans. How much? When? Instead of the milk because I am lactose intolerant? Would soy milk suffice? I must have missed it somewhere! Thanks!
My husband made broccoli cheddar soup this a few days ago! He pureed a mire poix with one head including the stocks, then added extra florets later. No milk either. It was thick as pea soup! I do like your idea of adding the grainy mustard for extra dimension, for sure. Thanks as always for a good soup recipe. I love soup.
Where in the recipe does it say to add the beans to thicken the soup?
I have read through the recipe several times and I do not see beans listed in the ingredients, nor do I see it mentioned in the instructions.
Please advise?
Thank you! It sounds like a delicious soup, and I would like to try this soon.
Am I missing something???? I don't see beans in the soup…….And would love to see nutrition info on the recipes.
Nice soup recipe it's nice and great one. Superb recipe. Soups are the lovely one and similar recipe's . Great post.
Great twist on Cheddar and broccoli soup Kevin. I'm going to try it this weekend.
I love broccoli and cheese together!! This soup sounds so good to me!
never thought of roasting the veggies! need to try this next time i make broccoli cheese soup! thanks for sharing 🙂
SEVERAL OF THE COMMENTS MENTIONED PUREED BEANS, BUT I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ABOUT BEANS IN THE RECIPE?
Looking nice soup.I love soup.
Maybe I need new glasses but I don't see any mention of beans in the recipe.
excellant!! thanks
Mindy Moore, glenda, Anonymous: I often like to add a (15 ounce) can of white beans to this soup and puree them to make it nice and thick and creamy.
Mmmm… this looks great! I agree…quality ingredients makes all the difference! yum!
This was great. The whole family enjoyed. Our two year old had 3 servings!!!
We made the soup the other night and made quiche this morning with more roasted broccoli, aged cheddar, and bacon. Both delicious!!!
I just made this cause I had a lot of fresh broccoli in my fridge! Omg the best ever, I ate this for three days and it taste better each day! I also added some freshly roasted broccoli to it! Yum!
Trying this recipe today…it looks fantastic! Do you think I could do this in a crockpot after roasting the broccoli??
This was absolutely yum! I used College Inn Culinary Broth with white wine & herbs, and if you can find it in your area, I suggest using it (no msg!) Just that hint of white wine finishes up the soup to perfection 🙂 The roasted broccoli adds such nice flavor!
Jennifer Weedon: Yes this would work in a slow cooker after roasting the broccoli!
Chris: The white wine would be a nice addition!
Yum just made this ! Tasted really good. I added some roasted garlic.
Fazila: Roasted garlic would be nice!
Sounds wonderful! I'm making this tonight. Thanks. 🙂
Really good flavor! I used spicy brown mustard. I used milk and it's a little too thin for me though, so I'll try adding the beans.
love the texture
Thanks for sharing. The "roasted" element is what drew me to this, and it did not disappoint. Delicious!
Anonymous: I am glad you enjoyed it! Roasting adds a ton of flavour to a lot of veggies and roasted broccoli is no exception!
This was dinner tonight and it was greatly enjoyed!
I've never commented on a recipe before, but I just felt compelled to make a comment this time! My family loved this soup! We added the pureed beans and it was perfect! I didn't have any thyme, so I used herb de provence which worked out wonderfully! My husband asked to make this soup a part of our regular rotation and my three year old had no idea he was eating broccoli! A winner!
Just made this, hubby likes it, it was a bit rich for me but I just had gadtric bypass surgery so things are tasting all different. Was a perfect idea for my puréed stage of dieting I'm in right now however. And very easy to make.
Valerie Oguss & Debbie: I am glad that you both enjoyed it!
I made this before and thought it was great! I added the beans. I made this again tonight, this time I roasted 2 red peppers with the broccoli as I had some I needed to use. Added the beans again and it is a delicious soup with the roasted red peppers as well! Thanks 🙂
So how many carbs a portion pls
I don't understand all the comments about this soup. It is disgusting. Totally overwhelmed by the thyme. Yuck!
SO GOOD! I did add some corn starch
This was delicious. I cut up my broccoli florets and marinate them in a ziplok wiith chopped garlic and olive oil in the fridge for about an hour before roasting so I only sauteed 1 clove of garlic with the onion and I added some minced carrots. I find it easier when making soup like this to blend the broth and the broccoli before you add the cream and the cheese. You just seem to have more control over the puree at that stage. It was so good, and I actually prefer that it was on the thinner side and not as gloppy as some cream of broccoli soups are.
Flavor was pretty good and it everybody else in my house loved it, but i couldn't get over the texture.
where are the carb count numbers?
In a quest to clear out the freezer I used two bags of frozen broccoli and then followed the recipe from there. Was pretty darn easy even on a work night. I added plenty of pepper and a pinch of cayenne and a little less milk. Thanks, this one is a keeper.
Elizabeth Cook: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
How many carbs per serving?
I am making the slow cooker version and debating on whether or not a 3 qt slow cooker would be big enough. Thoughts?
Made this for the first time tonight — it was an absolute winner, and the mustard at the end was *genius*. Well done, sir, and thanks. 🙂
We loved this recipe but my cheddar cheese wouldn't melt all the way and was lumpy. How did you get it to melt properly or am I using the wrong cheese? I used the shredded in the bag.
I don't see a nutritional chart here. Calories, carbs, fats???
I don't see a nutritional chart here. What are the carbs, calories or fats for this recipe?
Riley Green: I've added the nutritional facts! Enjoy!
This was a really watery soup. I added more cheese, but that didn't really save it. I feel like had there not been so many "wow this looks like a great recipe" and more actual comments about having made the soup with any advise would have been more helpful.
Vanessa Garcia: I'm sorry that it did not work out for you! With 4 cups of liquid/broth and all of the pureed broccoli it always turns out nice and hearty… This recipe specifically leaves out flour as a thickening ingredient since the amount of broccoli should make it nice and thick but if you are looking for that floury thickness, like in the canned soup, you can add two tablespoons of flour along with the garlic and thyme in step three or use a can of white beans, pureed into the broth as suggested in the recipe.
This soup was delicious! I doubled the recipe and used half and half. I also used the grainy mustard that Kevin recommended. Excellent! Next time, I'll try it with the beans. Kevin, your recipes are amazing!!!! I can't wait to try something else.
WOW! This soup is great! I didn't have grainy mustard so I used dijon and also roasted the garlic with the broccoli. SOOOO YUMMY!
Rachael LaCross: I'm glad you like it! The roasted garlic is a great addition!
Tasted great. Fast and easy. I skipped roasting the broccoli and just sautéed it along with the onions. Used pureed beans. Will make again
Can I use dried thyme…i don't have fresh. If so, how much?
Also, why not roast the garlic and onion along with broccoli?
Boo-boo Lip:You can use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and you can roast the garlic and onion with the broccoli.
I just made this tonight, followed the recipe as written, used whole milk and a block of sharp cheddar. The cheese melted, however it kind of melted into clumps that didn’t really go away when blended with the immersion blender.
My old broccoli cheddar recipe requires making a separate cheese sauce, could just adding shredded cheese in be a problem?
It sounds like the cheese may have curdled when it was added due to the temperature. I have updated the recipe to indicate that it should not be brought to a boil when the cheese is added. Making a cheese sauce first is another way to avoid this and it requires an extra step.
I made this for dinner tonight in homemade bread bowls. It was soooo yummy! Thank you so much for the great recipe!
This looks pretty good. I’d like to try it, but am wondering if the leftovers can be frozen? I would not be using beans and would sub the milk for heavy whipping cream.
Yes, you can freeze this soup! Enjoy!
Hi Kevin,
I have made this soup several times as it’s delicious and simple to make. I found the recipe while looking for a low carb soup.
Could you please clarify if the nutritional facts are per serving (as this is not stated) or for the whole pot
Thank you
I’m glad you like it! The nutritional facts are per serving.
Can this soup be frozen?
It can be frozen! Enjoy!
So if the cheese has curdled in the soup is it still good or is it a total waste?
It is still good! It will taste great but there will be little bits of cheese in it that are not melted.
What an excellent recipe! Being Keto, I was excited to see a soup without any flour added for thickening. I love roasted broccoli and it never occurred to me to use it for broccoli and cheese soup! Even my kids, who can be a little on the picky side, loved it. This will definitely be going on our dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing.
What a disappointment. Twenty to thirty minutes is way too long to roast broccoli at 400 degrees – I ended up with scorched broccoli. Went ahead and tried the soup anyway. It was very oily and tasted burnt – we had to throw it out.
How small did you cut the broccoli for roasting?
Made this yesterday and had it tonight. We loved it. The flavor of the roasted broccoli was ever so slight, but so worth the extra time of roasting it. By using a can of white beans in place of the milk or cream, and using a light shredded cheddar cheese, I was able to have 1 1/4 cups for 5 WW points. I’m sharing this great tasting, thick and creamy soup with all my fellow WW members at our next “workshop” aka meeting. Thank you for all your great recipes, and the additional options you provide.
Side note: using an immersion blender allowed me to easily blend all the ingredients smoothly in the pot.
Made this soup and it’s easy and delicious! I chopped up the bacon and fried it and just added it to the entire soup at the end, instead of just as a garnish. I used a bit more thyme as well…my own preference.
Can you freeze or make this soup ahead of time
Yes you can!
CAUTION! Do not try this recipe in a Crockpot. The cheese will not melt enough to blend into the broth. You will end up with a mass of goopy cheese. I turned the crockpot from low to high, hoping to get the cheese to melt as I stirred it for 15-20 minutes. No luck. I transferred to a sauce pan and continued to stir. Eventually, the cheese somewhat blended into the broth but was grainy. Then I used the immersion blender to smooth the broth. It basically got coated with cheese bits and was impossible to clean. The soup flavor was just “MEH”.
This soup was awesome! I did the broccoli in my air fryer and the soup in my instant pot and it came together in a flash! I added a shredded carrot too. The family loved it!
I made the broccoli and did it with the stock but refrigerated in between. When I put t back on the stove the soup wasn’t quite hot enough to add the milk and cheddar…and the cheddar didn’t melt. I think it needs to be just on the boil. I also should’ve followed my instinct and added the milk hot. But I would do it again. Tasty. Just not a nice texture because of the cheese. My five year old daughter loved it which is such a win because food can be a fight.