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November is the perfect weather for Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup…especially in homemade sourdough bread bowls.
It’s cold here, like really cold, so soup has been on my mind.
This Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is like Panera’s, but better, healthier, and well a lot cheaper. Promise!
This soup is sooo good! Why is it that broccoli tastes amazing when combined with cheddar cheese? The two just go together. Kind of like squash and sage or cinnamon and sugar.
I even got the serious “ONLY MEAT” eaters to eat this soup. And they enjoyed it. Enough Said.
When I was younger, on rare occasions, we would go to Panera for some soup, Mom probably more for the bread! For the most part we would get our soup in cups because it was cheaper and you got more soup this way, plus they gave you free bread with your soup. So paying the extra money for the bread bowl was kind of out of the question. But as kids we always asked.
When I started making my own sourdough bread I knew I had to make some bread bowls. And fill those bread bowls with broccoli cheddar soup! Creamy soup filled with real whole ingredients. It does not get much better.
Honestly, this has got to be one of the simplest soup recipes. It comes together so fast, is healthy, and filling! Instead of using heavy cream I swapped in 2% milk and chicken broth and swapped out some of the butter for olive oil. Throw in a whole lot of broccoli some salt and lots of pepper. Let this simmer and then puree. I like to leave mine a little chunky. Then add in your cheddar cheese. Simple and delicious.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Milk, I used 2%
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 leaves bay
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 7 inch sourdough bread bowls, round loaves
- 4 cups broccoli florets, about 1 head
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2½ - 3 cups grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish*
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Add the chicken broth, carrot, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.
- Add the broccoli to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. I left a few chunks in mine. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)
- Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to ¾ cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Bread bowl or no bread bowl, this soup is delicious either way, make some now!
Really enjoyed making this hearty soup. Added sriracha for extra zip.
Happy Friday! Thank you for trying out this recipe, and have a great weekend! xT
Nice and flavorful! Overall easy to make. Was a perfect soup for our snowy day!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Love to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Hi! Could you freeze this? I love this soup and am looking for freezer friendly meals to prep for after having my baby.
Hi Katie,
Totally, this recipe would freeze well for you:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Congrats on the baby:) xx
I made the version of this soup from the Half Baked Harvest cookbook last night and it was delicious. I wanted to check online to see if there was a more robust version for me to potentially make for Easter. I am curious what the carrot adds to the dish?
Hey Kelly,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! The carrots add a little sweetness. xT
Made per recipe, really great! I see the recipe on your site is over 10 years old, so it must be an early one! Some minor changes:
– We had 1% milk and I used about 1.5 cups of that and then added cream for the rest (some 1/2 & 1/2, some heavy cream). Very creamy!
– Instead of adding extra water to dilute it a bit at the end, I added leftover chicken stock from a 1 quart carton I used for the 3 cups of broth. In the end I added the whole carton and simmered it for a while longer and it was still plenty thick.
– I used an immersion blender and also left a few chunks. Makes less cleanup too! I almost forgot and had started adding the cheese in, but then just blended with about 1/3 of the cheese and then added the rest after.
– We didn’t use bread bowls, just some rolls on the side. Wonderful soup and leftovers for 2!
Hey Deborah,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was tasty and thanks a lot for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Made this tonight and my super meat loving boyfriend was even a huge fan. I only blended half the soup and it was perfect. So yummy.
Hey Susanna,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
This recipe is amazing! My husband loved it so much he asked me to make a second batch to freeze. It’s the only broccoli cheese soup recipe we will ever use!!
Hey Kimberlie,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
I made this soup tonight for dinner it was wonderful. So good, tasty & flavorful. We chose not to put it in a bread bowl for personal reasons. I will definitely make it again. Thank you, Teighan
Hey Chandra,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit!⛄️ xT
Made this soup tonight…a cozy Sunday dinner. My husband and I really enjoyed it. Did not use the bread bowls and the soup was filling. Will be on repeat this winter.
Hi Kimberly,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Can I sub ground nutmeg already packaged for freshly found in the same amount?
Thanks!
Hi Pamela,
Sure, that should work well for you! Please let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Do you think it would be ok to make this a day or two ahead of time and reheat?
Hey Jill,
Totally, that would be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Sooo good.
Hey Danielle,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I added about 3 diced potatoes in with the carrots, it was amazing!
Yum! Sounds like the perfect addition! xTieghan
Hands down the best broccoli soup I’ve ever made!! I’ve made several broccoli soup over the years and they were never exactly what I was looking for. This soup hit the spot and went straight to the books for me. Definitely would recommend.
Hey Victoria,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Made this because soup is good anytime of the year and paired it with your tomato cheddar tart
Thank you so much Marie!! xTieghan
This soup has been on my cooking bucket list for ages! This was such an easy recipe, and the result was a beautifully smooth and delicious soup. The roux smelled awesome and the rest was easy.
I used frozen broccoli since that is all I had on hand. Don’t recommend since it made the soup too watery. By the time it simmered for A while, we were all good! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for trying this Emily! I am so glad you loved it! xTieghan