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Keeping it simple, but cozy today with this One Pot Broccoli Cheddar and Dumplings. Taking two classics…broccoli cheddar soup, and creamy dumpling soup, and combining them into one. It’s the best of both soups! A creamy broccoli cheddar soup base topped with light and airy dumplings that make every bite so delicious. This is a cozy recipe that’s one pot and done, perfect for all the cool fall nights ahead.
Now that we’ve officially, officially entered into autumn, I’m breaking out all the coziest, warming recipes. I love spring and summer meals, I do. BUT I think we all know by now that fall is my season. Kind of cheesy, but that’s the truth. My fall recipes are my most favorite!
As we move into cooler days I wanted to be sure to give you guys a good mix of hearty yet light recipes. I want there to be something for everyone, whatever mood you might happen to be in. I don’t know about you guys, but my mood (and the weather) always affect what I end up craving for dinner. If it’s a bright sunny autumn day, I might make something a little lighter, like my go-to fall harvest roasted butternut squash salad. But if it’s cold and dreary out, I head to the slow cooker dinners or easy, warming soups.
And that’s where I’m at today. These moodier days with cooler temps have left me craving that first bowl of autumn soup. Enter this one pot broccoli cheddar and dumplings recipe. It’s soup, but then there are dumplings too…and it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds.
The History.
We all know the story…me reminiscing on my love for Panera’s broccoli-cheddar soup on fall days back in Cleveland. Year after year I’ve shared countless recipes inspired by that favorite soup. There has been my go-to pumpkin beer broccoli cheddar soup, the lighter broccoli cheddar and zucchini soup, broccoli cheddar chicken and rice casserole, and even a broccoli cheddar cobbler (which isn’t the prettiest but trust me, it’s good).
All of which are some of my very favorite recipes.
And then there are today’s dumplings. Well, my love for this recipe runs deep. It’s the absolute coziest, and it’s a combination of two of my favorite fall recipes, cheesy broccoli soup and creamy, herby dumplings (that melt in your mouth and are just delicious).
The quick and easy details.
The recipe starts out a lot like your classic broccoli cheddar recipe. Cook up some onions, add carrots, celery, and plenty of fresh thyme. Now add in a good amount of vegetable broth and lots of broccoli. Let the soup simmer until the broccoli becomes tender, which isn’t very long. Once the broccoli is tender, I like to puree it to get some of the soup creamy, but still leave chunks of broccoli throughout.
The one thing I left out of this recipe is the chicken. I wanted this to be all about the broccoli soup and the dumplings. But if you’d like to add chicken, I actually have a recipe for that here.
While the soup is simmering away, make the dumplings, which are kind of the star. Oh these dumplings, they’re so delicious and extra special. Light, airy, and a little cheesy too.
In the past, I’ve found dumplings to be a tad bland, so I decided to bump up the flavor with the addition of fresh sage (which is my favorite autumn herb), buttermilk, and a little bit of parmesan cheese. The addition of fresh sage adds a warmth to each dumpling that’s truly delicious.
The dumplings get cooked directly in the soup, making this a one pot and done kind of recipe. This is a quick-cooking autumn dinner that everyone will love. You could even use it for holiday entertaining…which yes, I am already thinking ahead to. I’m excited for this year’s holiday season, it’s feeling like it will be an extra special one!
I’ve yet to meet anyone who hasn’t loved a bowl full of this soup. It’s warm, cozy, and perfect for eating while snuggled up on the couch, wrapped in a cozy blanket watching your favorite Halloween movie.
It truly does not get better. Happy fall guys! ? ?
Looking for other cozy autumn recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Butternut Squash and Brie Soup with Crispy Pancetta
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Flaky Broccoli Cheddar Soup Mini Pies
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
Lastly, if you make this, Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Chicken In White Wine Pan Sauce with Mashed Cauliflower be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Broccoli Cheddar and Dumplings.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1295 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6-7 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 3 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large soup pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes. Add the carrots and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes. 3. Pour in the broth. Add the broccoli, bay leaves, nutmeg, and cayenne, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. 4. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the buttermilk, parmesan cheese, and sage, mixing until just combined.5. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Transfer 3/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until the broccoli is finely chopped. Return the soup to the pot and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop a heaping tablespoon of the dough into the soup, adding about 6 dumplings to the soup at a time. Cover, and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through and puffy. 6. Carefully move the dumplings aside, or if easier, remove dumpling from the soup, and stir in the milk and cheddar cheese, cooking until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.7. Ladle the soup and dumplings into bowls and serve topped with pepper. Enjoy!
Can’t wait to make this soup! No buttermilk at the store. What would be the best substitute for these dumplings? I have milk, heavy cream, and sour cream…
Hey Amanda,
Whole milk or heavy cream would work well here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I wasnt a fan of the consistency of the soup, it was very grainy. I was concerned with that from the beginning because the soup didn’t start with a roux. I guess I was right.
Hey Danielle,
You are correct, the soup should not be grainy, is there something I can help with? Let me know! xTieghan
Mine has turned out grainy the last two times I tried as well 🙁 . Almost as if the cheese separated from the broth. Any suggestions? I am going to try to shred my own cheese this time instead of using preshredded
Hi there,
Yes! Definitely shred your own cheese and make sure it is room temp! xTieghan
2 for 2!!
My second night in a row with a HUGE HIT from Halfbakedharvest.com
Thank you thank you!
It took me about an hour from start to finish, but was still quite a fast.
It was rich, creamy and absolutely DELICIOUS!
There were 4 of us eating and we demolished those dumplings.
During the final phase of cooking (adding milk and cheese), I removed all the dumplings into a hot, buttered cast iron skillet, sprinkled about 1/4 of the shredded cheese onto it and put under the broiler for 5 minutes while I added and cooked the milk and cheese to the soup. It made the dumplings a bit crispy on the bottom and top which was nice.
My biggest dilemma now is which recipe do I do TONIGHT?!!!
Hi Wai! I am so happy you have been loving this and other recipes of mine!! Thank you so much for trying them! What about some pesto pasta alla vodka?! xTieghan
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/spicy-pesto-pasta-alla-vodka/
Oh my greatness was this incredible!!! My whole family loved it, it was simple to make and thank you for the vegetarian option.
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Mary Kate! xTieghan
Gonna make this tonight! Yum! Could I substitute milk for coconut milk? Or what non dairy do you recommend?
Hey Haley,
I would use full fat canned coconut milk. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is it weird that I added chicken? I followed the directions from your sage biscuit chicken soup for cooking the chicken into it… it turned out amazing!!
Hey Hannah,
Not weird at all!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try:) xTieghan
This was really good but my dumplings weren’t. I misunderstood the recipe and cooked all at once for 10 minutes and they weren’t very fluffy. Do you think if I cook 6 at a time for 8-10 mins each then it’ll fix the non-fluffiness?
Hey Kate,
So sorry for the confusion, yes if you do 6 at a time you will have better results. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This soup was great, but I’d definitely use the 7 cups of veggie broth. I also may have used more veggies than was called for so that might be my fault haha! But either way it was delicious!
Thank you so much Hailey! xTieghan
This was AMAZING! We had to make some substitutions / not use the spices we didn’t have but it was still so flavorful. We used half the cheese amount to make it healthier and it was great. So so good.
Thank you Alex! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Would this work with gluten free flour?
Hey Torrey,
Yes you can use an equal amount of GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this tonight with leftover roasted broccoli and some good white cheddar. I halved it and it’s green, but so creamy and delicious on this cold Friday night. Perfect to warm up after walking my pup. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you Christine! So happy this turned out so amazing for you, Christine! xTieghan
Delicious! My husband just said that this is LITERALLY the best flavored broth we’ve ever made at home. I did get a little mixed up at the end and added BOTH cheeses to the dumplings but that’s not a bad thing, right?
Wow that is so amazing! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you both, Jessie! Thank you! xTieghan
More recipes with these kind of dumplings please!! I made it for my family and we all ate it on a rainy afternoon then only a bowl of it was left!! On the next day, POOF!! It was all gone! It’s just too good!! My family especially my younger siblings didn’t even realize that there were veggies in it!! My little brother asked for more dumplings but every single bit of it was gone!! It’s really warm and refreshing on the pallate! Anyone who hasn’t tried this recipe is totally missing out!! Love your recipes and always enjoy watching your stories on instagram!! xoxo
Hi Janelle! I am so happy this soup turned out os amazing for you all! Thank you for trying this one! xTieghan
This was an amazing recipe, we had it tonight and it was a crowd pleaser. Curious if you have any tips for the best way to store the left overs with the dumplings?
Hey Angela,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I would recommend storing the dumplings separately from the soup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Oops! Accidentally posted twice about gluten free flour. Thanks for the answer – can’t wait to make this!