Dear readers,
ANOTHER SOUP!! I hope you’re as excited as I am because this one, this is a GEM of a recipe! Okay, so some background: So as some of you may (or may not) know, my family lives in Buffalo and as a result, we are big Bills fans! (Granted, we’re still a little bitter about the lost to the Chiefs in January, but we are going to come back and make it – you just watch us…Let’s Go Bills!) SO back in early December, that first week and first game against the Patriots, Frankie and I travelled to Buffalo for the game with my folks and in preparation, my mom made some hot chocolate, packed up the hot dogs and burgers, but also threw in a thermos of broccoli cheddar soup! Guys…this soup is legit, one of the smoothest, soul warming soups I’ve had in an age (and to quote my mom, how can you not like anything that has cheese in it?! A most valid point momma bear)…and I’ve adapted it just a little based on what was in my fridge and it took the whole thing to a new level. SO. GOOD!!!!
P.S. Don’t forget that you can order cookies from me directly from my Cookie Order Page on this very same blog! (Yes, shameless plug, but I need to keep pushing it!)
Hoping you are safe and well!
— Cooking Maggie
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 4 cups Chicken Broth (you might not use all 4, but I’ve learned from trial and error that having more just in case isn’t a bad thing)
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets (not a ton of the stalk otherwise your soup will taste cellular/grassy)
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of milk (I used 2%)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded yellow cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste (I think I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons, but that’s to my taste)
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large stock pot, and saute the onion, celery, and garlic until tender. Add in broccoli and enough stock to ALMOST cover the broccoli (this ensures the moisture penetrates the majority of the broccoli to get it tender, but too little moisture/liquid will leave some of the broccoli being hard/grassy tasting and we don’t want that). If you don’t use all 4 cups, all good. Cover your pot and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- While the broccoli is simmering, in a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour with a whisk to make a roux, and then slowly add in the milk. Keep stirring until thick and bubbly, then remove from heat and set aside briefly.
- When broccoli is set and ready, pour the soup into a blender (add and blend in batches) and blend until super smooth. When all of the soup has been blended, add your roux and blended broccoli soup into the stock pot at medium heat and stir/cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add in the cheese, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper (adjusting pepper and salt to taste as you go) and stir until all the cheese is incorporated into the soup. If you want the soup to be thicker, take another tablespoon of flour and mix with 1/4 cup of water and mix into a slurry – add and thoroughly mix the slurry into the soup and let thicken naturally for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- ENJOY AND EAT (or drink – I’ve found it stupid comforting to drink this soup out of a mug…)
The Real Cooking Maggie 