In the world of cheat-y foods, broccoli cheese soup has always seemed like one of the cheatiest. There’s nothing wrong with owning it. Cheese is delicious and not every single lunch has to be virtuous. Still, I sometimes wish that the broccoli part of the whole thing was taken a little more seriously, if only for the purely selfish reason that I love broccoli. My goal was to create a recipe for broccoli cheese soup that was as comforting as the ultra-cheesy kind you typically find, but simultaneously really tasted like broccoli.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Creamy, filling, and packed with layered broccoli flavor.
Charring broccoli florets and simmering the stems builds in layers of different types of broccoli flavor.
Adding a potato to the simmering soup provides a natural thickener that helps the cheese emulsify and gives the soup a creamy texture.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
immersion blender or countertop blender
NOTES:
Look for deli-style American cheese in the deli counter of your supermarket. You can use any combination of cheddar, American, or other young, moist cheeses like Jack or Colby.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pound (700g) broccoli
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, sliced (about 6 ounces; 170g)
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced finely (about 4 ounces; 120g)
3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups (475ml) water or homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
3 cups (700ml) whole milk
1 small russet potato, peeled and sliced (about 4 ounces; 120g)
12 ounces (340g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 ounces (240g) deli-style American cheese, diced (see note above)
1 teaspoon (3g) dried mustard powder
Dash of hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
DIRECTIONS
1.Separate broccoli into florets and stems. Cut the florets into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Roughly chop the stems and reserve separately.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli florets and cook without moving until charred on the bottom, about 1 minute. Stir, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until tender and charred on several surfaces, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
3. Return the Dutch oven to medium heat and add butter, onion, carrot, and broccoli stems. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes, lowering heat if necessary. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add chicken stock, milk, and potato, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli and potatoes are completely tender, about 30 minutes.
5. Toss both cheeses together along with mustard powder in a large bowl. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a countertop blender, blend the soup, adding the cheese in a handful at a time until completely smooth. Stir in hot sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in reserved broccoli florets and pulse with the blender a few more times until a few of the pieces are broken down but most bite-size pieces still remain. Serve immediately.
30 Comments
What's that thing at 1:28?
the fuck you mean "soup"
BROCCOLI SOUP YUMMY
Yummy!
It tastes wonderful
KENJI IS A NATIONAL TREASURE
Made this last night. It was great, except there was a some kind of lumpiness/graininess to it from the potato. I weighed out my portions on a scale. Any clue what caused it or is that intended? It’s amazing soup though, but that texture was off putting to the kids. More for my wife and I though! (I maybe ate some more at 1am.)
ravi zacharias
Sir, I want to thank you for breaking down the metrics to tablespoons-cups – oz. lb. another youtube cook did not I got confused
a was very mad because of the recipe again thank you
I think I need a handheld blender. Made it using my countertop blender and I feel like handheld would've been better. Also, bought a triple cheddar cheese blend when I probably should've just followed the recipe. I also didn't have mustard powder so substituted (per Google search) a tablespoon of regular squeeze mustard. Not sure if that changed the flavor profile. Still, I enjoy the finished product.
Yo Kenji! Long time no see buddy.
OMG burned that valuable broccoli! So amateur! (dont mention: Oil?!?!) :DDD LoL
2:41 drip
I have made this 4-5 times now. Absolutely the best!
Yes! Finally found a recipe that doesn’t like flour in soups! And everything! I make mine this way, but not only with potatoes, I use neutral tasting vegetables, like pumpkin with light color and texture. It’s really good. And golden beats (it’s a vegetable). Delicious
Just made this and it is incredible! Added chopped carrots to the end as well and it was perfect.
How long does this keep in the fridge?
This is great! I just made it and added even more broccoli (50% more) and WOW! Now THIS is Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
now show us how to deep fry it
I believe this is cheese soup
Extra tip when you try this recipe, make sure to grate your own cheese instead of buying pre-grated. Pre-grated cheese is coated in starch to keep it from sticking to itself, and it can make the soup texture kinda gluey. Grating your own cheese is a bit of extra work, but it's very much worth it when it comes to these kinds of recipes.
Cooking this tonight! 😋
Why does this song give me nightmares? Where do I know it from?!
This one makes sense I've been trying to find a decent broccoli soup recipe feels like forever..one gets tired of creating catastrophes. 😄
I halved the recipe but think it needs more broc. Have pleanty soup left over so will just cook and blend in more broc for next time. Maybe some bacon too . . . . Didn't have cheddar so used pepper jack and velveta
So I just made this and I found the result a little bland and a little loose in texture (and this is totally my own fault) but how to fix it?
* I had 1/4 sharp cheddar and the rest was a medium cheddar
* I can't get american cheese here
* I probably didn't have enough broccoli
I think to some degree I can add more salt to get rid of some of the blandness…
But can I…
* Can I break down a potato in a small amount of broth in a separate pot, and then…
* Add more cheese (sharp) after the soup has cooled? Just reheat and re-blend with the potato an additional cheese?
* Then add more charred florets, to retain that aspect and get some more broccoli flavour (that I feel my proportions lacked, anyways?)
Not sure I'll get any responses before attempting to fix the soup… but thought I'd try anyway!
I have made this multiple times and it is soooo good everytime
This amount is cheese in a bowl would probably end me, but boy does it look delicious.
That was a tremendous serving of culinary logic, kitchen witchery and wisdom in fewer than three minutes! Thank you, brother!
👌🙏🥦
Just harvested a 3 lb head of Romanesco broccoli. Was wondering what to do with it. This will do nicely. Thank you.
Yum!!