Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I think it's been years since I've shared a recipe on the blog. Probably because after Kip my cooking was strictly simple and I made a heck of a lot of chicken pot pie.

Lately, I've tried some different meal planning (will update about that later) and in November I decided to make soup every Sunday. I had written down a broccoli cheese soup recipe that I had made once before and so I tried making that again. It tasted fine but it was a weird process and as I was making it I was thinking this seemed backwards and not really worth the work. So the next night I made the soup again but I ignored the recipe and just made it how I thought it made sense and the result was AMAZING!!!! It was the first time I made something from scratch without a recipe and just used my instinct and it felt like a total victory. So now I'm sharing it with you!!

The stuff
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh broccoli
- 1 cup diced potatoes (optional)
- 2+ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (do not use pre-shredded, it doesn't melt as well)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2+ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian)
- 1 cup whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste

Get Cookin'
- In a pan melt the butter with the onion and garlic
- Cook until the butter is fully melted and the onion and garlic are aromatic (my pan is stained so that's why it look dark)

- Slowly add in the flour and whisk until it starts to form a paste. You want to cook off the flour flavor so don't do it quickly.

- Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly to work out the lumps and create a roux (this is the same process as my chicken pot pie recipe).

- Once you've incorporated all the milk and chicken stock let it cook until it thickens slightly. Add more chicken stock if it seems too thick.

- Add the grated cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and smooth

- Add the chopped broccoli and potatoes (I added potatoes to make it more hearty but you can totally leave these out). If you use potatoes, chop them small or parboil them so they don't take forever to soften.

- Let it cook, adding more stock or cheese until you achieve your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the potatoes are soft and the broccoli loses its raw flavor, it's ready to eat!
- Serve with extra cheese!!

This recipe serves about four or two with second helpings.

Personally, this soup rivals Panera's broccoli cheese soup and is so satisfyingly easy to make. I'm really proud of it. Enjoy!!