I don’t know about you but on those cold, dark, dreary nights, nothing tastes as good as a warm bowl of soup. A few nights ago, I decided to make this for dinner since my family was just getting over colds and still not feeling 100% and it was a cold evening. Surprisingly, my kids went crazy over it. They were spooning the broccoli into their mouths so fast, I was one happy mama. My oldest even asked for seconds. Definitely perfect for all the winter nights ahead!!
A hearty, flavorful soup that comes together in no time!
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 lbs broccoli florets
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
-
Heat the butter in a large saucepan/dutch oven.
-
Add in the onion and saute for about 4 minutes, or until soft.
-
Sprinkle flour onto the onions and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until no more lumps appear.
-
Add in the milk and vegetable broth.
-
Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
-
Add in the broccoli and carrots.
-
Cook about 15-20 minutes, or until vegetable are tender.
-
Add salt, pepper, hot sauce, and cheese and stir until cheese is melted.
-
Serve warm with crusty bread!!
Here is the dutch oven I use and LOVE……click here!!
LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! No more waiting til it’s the “Soup du Jour”, @ the restaurant, sides, theirs is’nt nearly as tasty, accompanied by a crusty, butter-slathered hunk of rustic grain bread, & all’s well in MY world…
How many servings does this make?
This will make about 6 servings, possibly more depending on size of portions 🙂
Can you use Half and Half instead go whole mile?
Yep, that works too 🙂
What kind of hot sauce would you suggest?
If I wanted to make this gluten free, is there another thickener you’d suggest?
I love using Cholula Hot Sauce, but any will work 🙂
Hmmm, I would try using corn starch as a substitute 🙂
I always stock up on frozen diced onions and broccoli florets….can I go from frozen or must it be fresh?
Frozen works great too 🙂
Just thaw it a bit before using it in the soup!!! Enjoy!!
Do you cook on oven or stove top?
Stove top, over medium heat 🙂
What about a cooking this using a crockpot ?
Yep! You could do that too! Just add everything in and cook on low for about 5-6 hours 🙂
What about using chicken broth?
Yes, you can use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth, just be sure to remove any fat from the chicken broth prior to using 🙂
Can you use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
Yes, 2% works too 🙂
Do I have to use chedder cheese or can I use colby jack or american cheese n will it taste just as good
I’ve never used other cheese so I’m not sure. It may change the taste up but it should work the same 🙂
What about using the Campbells chedder cheese in a can instead of shredded
Hmmmm, I’ve never considered that, but I’m sure it would work. You would probably want to use two cans. 🙂
Let us know how it turns out if you try it that way!
Does it have to be kosher salt?
Nope, any kind will work 🙂
Im going to make 30 servings of this tomorrow because my whole family has the flu.
Awwww, hope this tastes good to you guys and hope you all get to feeling better soon! Darn flu bug is not fun 🙁
Yea I think I will try it with da can cheese n ill let u no how it turns out bc im thinking about making it tomorrow…thanks for da recipe 🙂
Oh yum!!! Can’t wait to hear what you think using the canned cheese 🙂
It’s a cold in New England tonight so I made this for my family. We all LOVED it! I’m already thinking of when I should make it again. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Yea!!! So glad it was a hit with you all! It’s my favorite soup!! Yum 🙂
This soup tastes great, I made it the other night. What am I doing wrong when the cheese sauce has a grainy texture?
Cheese needs to be melted at a low temperature, and stirred constantly. If heat is too high, it can break down the cheese causing grainy texture. Did you cook on low? Other than too high of heat or not stirring enough, I’m not sure why that would happen. So sorry that happened to you 🙁
I cooked on medium heat and stirred constantly. Next time I will use low heat. Thank you for your reply.
No problem! I hope that helps! Keep us posted! 🙂
Should it be salted or unsalted butter?
I used unsalted 🙂
Why hot sauce? I seen someone else put a dash of nutmeg in it
Hot Sauce just adds a slight kick to it, more for additional flavor then anything 🙂
I’ve seen nutmeg used too and that’s just to add a slight sweetness to it 🙂
Either way is yummy!!!
I made this with about half of the broccoli required, and it was broccoli overload. The first few bites were good, but I just couldn’t finish it. I think this would be better as a side (think cup-sized portions) than a main dish.
Made this soup last night and I am questioning whether the 1 1/2 lbs of broccoli was correct? Way too much! Should it have been 1 1/2 C. maybe? Made it exactly like the recipe and ended up making another batch without the broccoli and carrots and adding it to what I already had. It was then perfect and delicious! I will make again.
Yeah, some of my friends that have had this like it as a side dish as well 🙂
We love broccoli, so its always a main dish in our house 🙂
Hmmm, the lb is correct over the cup, however, it depends on the size of the fresh broccoli stalks as we usually get about 2- 2 1/2 cups out of 1 1/2 lbs and it ends up being perfect for us. It depends on preference for sure though 🙂
I am making this today. I added 4 med sized russet potatoes and about 1/2 to 3/4 jar of Ragu double cheddar cheese sauce. Its coming together great and is tasty.
Oh yum!! Let us know how it turns out 🙂
A family favorite although I am out of broth so need to make it from scratch.
Trying this tonight, I have a some broccoli to use up, hope its as good as the reviews, I’m looking forward to it!
This is great! But I had to use half broccoli and half cauliflower b/c i only had a head of broccoli in the house. Also, I had to use some Velveeta with a little cheddar for the same reason. BTW-LOVE your cooking blog!!! 🙂
To the people that have tried this recipe, does it taste like Panera Bread? It sure looks a lot like it!
I know I don’t count bc its my recipe, however, it definitely does taste like Panera Bread’s recipe in my opinion!!! 🙂
This really sounds good, I like anything with broccoli in it. thanks for the recipe.
Our pleasure! This is a family favorite, so hopefully you enjoy it as much as we do, 🙂
My husband LOVES broccoli, not me! So I made it for him with half the broccoli and added a few potatoes. He loved it! I’ll make a batch of cream of mushroom soup for me, he hates it. Then we’ll both be satisfied!!
So glad he enjoyed it!!! Cream of mushroom sounds yummy too, 🙂
How many calories per serving, and how much is one serving
Hi!! Here are the nutritional values, hope that helps! Serving Size: 1 (445 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 4-5 Calories 628.1 Calories from Fat 441
I made this yesterday and it was delish!! I used skim milk and that was fine. I did have to thicken it just a bit more. I fed three people and it disappeared quickly. Next time I will double, maybe even triple the recipe
Awww, so glad you enjoyed it! Good idea on doubling or tripling batch next time, this is definitely a crowd pleaser, 🙂
I made this again today and this time I doubled it. The batch amount is perfect! I did learn something though. Next time I won’t double the hot sauce amount….whoa!! lol. It’s a bit spicy and over powers the soup. Lesson learned.
Haha, yes, I can see how that would add quite the kick to it, lol. So glad you enjoy this soup. It is a favorite of mine, 🙂
Can you freeze this?
I always freeze our leftovers and its great reheated, so no problem freezing it!! 🙂
I’ve made this soup every week for the last two months. I use unsweetened almond milk and an infusion blender to breakdown most of the broccoli then add the cheese. OMG I’m so hooked on this soup. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Hehe, sounds like I need to move into your house to have this each week. YUM!!! Great idea using the blender and almond milk!!! So glad you enjoy it!! Have a wonderful Easter!!
I just made this and halved the recipe. The proportion of milk and veggie broth was way off. Not enough liquid to cook the veggies. I added more broth, but not sure it will mess up the flavor. Disappointing for sure.
Oh I am so sorry it wasn’t a hit with you. I just made this last weekend and it worked great, but I will try halving it this weekend to see how it turns out and if I need to make any adjustments! Thanks!
Can I use the shredded cheddar cheese in a bag? Or is there a difference?
Yep, shredded cheese in a bag works perfectly in this 🙂
I just made this soup this morning. I added 4 potatoes just because I love potatoes, but didn’t change anything else. It turned out great. It was actually the first soup I’ve made and it was so easy. My 5 year old daughter helped me.
So glad you enjoyed it! Great idea on adding the potatoes!!! How fun that your 5 year old daughter was able to help, its always special when the kids can join in on the recipes!
I made this tonight!!! Out of this world!!!! The entire family loved it…I doubled it and have just a small bowl left for lunch tomorrow. This is a keeper!
Yea!! So glad you all enjoyed it! Leftovers are rare in my house with this recipe, so enjoy your lunch, haha!!
I assume I could make with heavy cream? Bought buy accident, thought I was grabbing whole milk.
Yep, using heavy cream is no problem at all. It will still taste great!!
I made a half portion of this soup yesterday and the only thing I had to change (as did another contributor) was to add more milk and stock as it was way too thick. It didn’t affect the flavour though, as it was gorgeous.
Great idea making only 1/2! Thanks!!
Do your know the nutritional information on this soup?
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 400
Calories from Fat 289
72%
Total Fat 32.2 g
49%
Saturated Fat 20 g
100%
Cholesterol 95 mg
31%
Sodium 629.2 mg
26%
Total Carbohydrate 13.7 g
4%
Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
7%
Sugars 2.6 g
10%
Protein 15.5 g
This is now my ‘go to’ vegetable soup recipe. I’ve made it 3 times and use it for whatever veg I have left over in the fridge – it works with anything. My first batch was the same as the recipe, the second had added cauliflower and the third had cauliflower and swede. Just stick with the same overall weight of veg. It’s fantastic.
Yea!! So glad you enjoy it as much as my family does!!
I made this, was delicious,I also added crumbled bacon,, yum
So glad you enjoyed this! Great idea on the bacon, I will have to remember that!
This is a great recipe..I didn’t use carrots or the kosher salt. I did add 1 Cup of white rice, it came out very tasty!
So glad you enjoyed this!!
Will I lose much if I leave out the hot sauce? We never have it in the house..
Nope, it will still be just as yummy!! Enjoy!
This was so delicious and simple to make.
Patsy of Florida
Gluten free flour from Pillsbury is actually a better thickener than regular flour if you can believe it.
Yea! Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh thanks for that info! I will be sure to remember that next time!!
This soup was delicious! New family favorite!
I added 1 1/2 cups of potato cubed and an extra 1/2 cup of broth and milk.
Yea!!!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Why are the ingredients on the fb post and the cooking chics how to make directions? do I use chicken broth or vegetable stock, half med. onion or whole, ofruth cup of Flour or 3 tablespoons,nutmeg or not? Whoch recipe taste limost like Panera?
Pardon my mis typing … just trying to figure out why the difference and which recipe to use.
Which recipe are you seeing duplicates of? It should be the same on both Facebook and the Cookin’ Chicks. We have had some issues with other sites taking the content, so let me know and I will clarify ingredients/directions! Thanks!!
CAN I USE I CUP OF MILK AND 1 CUP OF HALF &HALF FOR THE THE 2 CUPS OF MILK? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.
Sure! No problem at all!! Enjoy!