Delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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This morning I woke up with a hankering for some broccoli cheddar soup. There were two problems with this abnormal craving. First, I did not have time to make it for breakfast, or I might have done so, and thoroughly enjoyed an odd start to the day. Second, because I did not have time this morning, I would have to wait until dinner to appease my stomach's desires.

Now, I do not have a go to recipe for this soup, as the few times I have made it in the past it never lived up to its potential. Well, the morning craving stayed with me the entire day, keeping my slower moments at work occupied with sifting through a variety of recipes before attempting to create my own.

By the end of the work day, I had managed to find a couple recipes that sounded wonderful. I ended up picking and choosing elements from both The Comfort of Cooking and The Way to His Heart Blog's recipes. Both are very similar, but I added a little twist to it and  made it my own.
I paired the soup with some delicious Pesto Bread and
a Gorgonzola and Fuji Apple Salad. There were a lot of
competing flavors, but still good.

First, as a vegetarian I do not understand why most soup recipe call for chicken stock, especially a vegetarian soup, like this one. I used vegetable stock with very good results.

Second, I chose to add fresh minced garlic, largely because I absolutely love garlic. I can never get enough! But I also feel that garlic powder, as The Comfort of Cooking's recipe calls for, does not give way to the stronger flavor that I feel is needed in soups.

And finally, third, The Way to His Heart Blog calls for the soup to be pureed before adding the cheese. I chose to eliminate this step, and instead chop the broccoli into small pieces, for a couple of reasons. One, I am not usually fond of pureed soups. And Two, typically the broccoli in broccoli cheese soup is cooked into a very, very tender state, giving the soup a thickish consistency. I was not at all disappointed and I do not think you will be either!

Please enjoy, I know I did.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4 - 5 people

 Ingredients:
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 heaping cup flour
  • 7 ounces of Half and Half
  • 4 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 pound fresh broccoli florets chopped into very small pieces (including the upper stem)
  • 1 1/4 cups of finely shredded carrots (about two medium sized carrots)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
Yep! This soup is full of broccoli!!
  1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter on medium high heat and saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until onion is tender.
  2. Add the remaining 7 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt, stirring often. 
  3. Add the 1/4 cup of flour and stir constantly for about 5 minutes and try to make a roux. (I have seen this a ton of times in recipes and can never get my flour and butter to become a roux and I am not sure it makes that much of a difference. So, do not fret if you are like me, a roux rookie.)
  4. Add the 7 ounces of Half and Half and the 4 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Allow soup to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the finely chopped broccoli florets, shredded carrots, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
  6. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted and serve warm.
Yummy!













With this delicious soup I also made a Gorgonzola and Fuji Apple Salad and a great Yummy Pesto Bread. It made for a great, albeit strong arrangement of flavors.


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