Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

How many of you have ever tried feeding broccoli to a little kid? If you are thinking, ‘Yup, been there, done that!’ Then I’m with you.

If you never have, count yourself lucky :0) I had a hankerin’ for some broccoli cheddar soup so I made the soup thinking, ‘my kids aren’t going to touch this’. I figured I’d at least make them try it, then they’d want to eat something else. (I do have rather picky offspring.)

We sat down at the table, said a prayer over the food, and I started up a conversation about politics.

Out of the corner of my ear I hear “mom…..mom…..MOM…..”

“Yes Aidan, what?”

“Mom, I really like this!”

I raised my eyebrows in astonishment. “What?! Really? You like it?

“Mmm Hmm!” he says as he’s shoveling spoon fulls into his mouth.

I’m thinking, “Well, I better blog about this recipe…”

So here you  have it! Creamy Broccoli Cheddar soup. 100% comfort food and kid approved.

I saw this recipe was different right away. It’s adapted from the fabulous folks over at America’s Test Kitchen (my favorite show). This recipe builds and blooms flavors step by step, so the finished product is most flavorful and delicious. Onion, garlic and peeled broccoli stems are sauteed in butter. Then cream, broth, broccoli crowns and a pinch of nutmeg are added and all is simmered together. A quick run through the blender and then the cheese is melted in last. Crumbled bacon and a bit more cheddar on top create a lovely garnish. I totally piled bacon on mine. You can never go wrong with bacon :0)

What I thought was especially interesting about this recipe was that the broccoli stems were peeled and sauteed with the onions. Turns out that those stems really add a rich broccoli flavor, plus the added nutrients that come from having a larger amount of broccoli in your serving.

Bowls were licked clean after this meal. Leftovers~forget about it. Try this recipe. It’s creamy deliciousness! And please let me know how it went in the comments below. I have a new weapon in the fight to get my kids to eat their veggies. I hope it’s helpful for you as well.

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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• Author: Emily
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Ingredients

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• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stems peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, crowns chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 package of Bacon, cooked well done and crumbled for garnish

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Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a dutch oven on the stove top. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Clear off a little spot in the center and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds in the center to ‘bloom’ the flavor, then mix it in with the onions. Add the broccoli stems and cook, stirring often, for an additional 5 minutes or until bright green.
2. Stir in the broth and simmer for 5 minutes or until the broccoli stems are soft. Add the broccoli crowns, cream and nutmeg. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Puree the soup in a blender or with a hand held emulsifier. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the Cheddar cheese until melted. Stir in the white pepper and season with salt. Serve with bacon crumbled over the top and garnish with extra cheese if desired.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: American