Lightened Up Broccoli Cheddar Soup
You all said you needed it in your life - so here it is! This is a cream free, feel GOOD, Broccoli Cheddar Soup. So the trick? Don’t cheap out on the cheese, it gives it ALL the flavor and creaminess, good quality cheese melts well and tastes AMAZING. So yes - the $8 block is worth it. The original recipe I tried last winter was @testkitchen - and I was able to make the tweaks to my liking! Any excuse to enjoy something rich & indulgent without the guilt - count a sister IN. Cheers to guilt free deliciousness 🥂🥦
Ingredeients:
4-5 large carrots peeled and diced
4-5 large celery stalks diced
1/2 diced onion, 3 heads of broccoli
2 cartons of chicken broth (you’ll need 5 or 6 cups)
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbsp butter, garlic powder
paprika
salt
pepper
HIGH quality SHARP cheddar cheese (Mine is @cabotcheese extra sharp white cheddar)
Directions:
chop carrots, celery, and onion for mirepoix (pre chopped @traderjoes is perfect!)
melt butter in soup pot or Dutch oven, add mirepoix mixture + garlic and cook until fragrant/onions are translucent
while mixture cooks, chop broccoli into small pieces - chop stems too
add salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika - stir to combine
add broccoli and 5-6 cups of chicken broth, until the broccoli is fully covered (could totally use veggie broth for a full vegetarian soup!)
let come to a boil and simmer for 20-25 mins until broccoli is bright green and soft
while that cooks, grate down a full block of your GOOD CHEESE!
in batches, add to blender to smooth, I like to leave some of the big pieces of broccoli for a chunky soup! But blend as much or little as you please!
with all soup in the pot, add that generous amount of delicious shredded cheese. Fold it in as it melts a- once fully melted it’s yours to enjoy! Top with fresh cheddar cheese + salt and pepper to taste.
