What is Broccoli Cheese Soup?
This easy broccoli cheese soup recipe has been in my family since I was a little kid. I used to crack so many crackers into it it would be more like a cracker casserole! Now, my kids also enjoy it, using less crackers :), making this an easy family friendly recipe.
There is just something about the broccoli and cheese combination that is so good. It is such an easy recipe and can be made in minutes, bonus it is a one pot recipe! It is a rich and creamy soup that is the perfect comfort food on a crisp fall day or a cold winter day.
The best part of this Broccoli Cheese Soup is that anyone can learn to make it! All you need to be able to do is make a quick roux! Not sure what that is? No worries I will explain it in the Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheese Soup below.
Cozy soups are the perfect meal prep for fall and winter, or really any time because man air conditioning gets cold in the summer, because they can be batch cooked, frozen, and if it is a cheese soup they taste better the next day! Do you think this too or is that just me?
This homemade broccoli cheese soup recipe can be used as a regular soup or if you let it thicken a little bit more it is a perfect topping for baked potatoes! Read below to learn how to make broccoli cheese soup in the easiest way.
Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
This recipe has been in my family for decades, I started making it when I was in grade school. There are no complicated steps to this soup so it is a great one to start using if you are new to cooking, do not want a long prep time, and want to be able to batch cook a meal while making supper for tonight. All you have to do is melt, simmer, and serve this delicious soup!
Try this soup for your cozy dinner today and you will have everyone in your family loving it, even the picky eaters. It is cheesy, velvety, and full of vegetables so your momma heart will be happy serving it and their kiddo heart will be happy eating it because it is such a family friendly meal!
30 minute meal prep is a must at our busy house and you might feel the same! Soup is a great way to accomplish this and have a nutritious meal on the table. Broccoli Cheese Soup is ideal for weeknights when you are short on time but need something that will keep you feeling full. Check out the tips below for how to add extra protein to it!
Not only is this soup delicious the first time you make it, it is some how even more delicious as the week goes on! If you are like me anything with cheese tastes better the next day, like pizza for instance, this soup is the same. The flavors develop as it sits in the fridge making this an ideal weekday/weeknight meal prep meal.
You can even use the leftovers over baked potatoes one of the days of the week so you are using up your leftovers without having to serve the same meal over and over again if you want!
Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheese Soup
Making a roux is really easy. If you haven’t ever done it before all you do is melt the butter listed in the recipe and then stir in the flour. Whisk these two ingredients together until they have cooked for at least one minute. The raw flour flavor will be removed if you do this. Check out this video from Food Network on how to make a roux to see it in action.
Make sure while you are making the roux to keep the heat really low. Low and slow is the name of the game when you are making a dish that is roux based (meaning you used a roux in the recipe).
What is the roux doing and why is it important? This is what is going to give your soup the texture it is going to have. It thickens it with the starches in the flour. If you cook it too fast you will burn it and or it will have a really gritty texture so make sure to go really low on the heat and it will take some time.
You can use fresh or frozen broccoli to make this recipe. Either way you can steam the broccoli quick to speed up the meal prep process. While you are making the roux pop the frozen broccoli in the microwave so it can cook while you are doing other things. Or if you are using fresh you can steam it in a pot or in the microwave too.
The best part of broccoli cheese soup from home is that you can decide how big you want your broccoli chunks. If you have picky eaters keep them bigger so they can feel like they can pick them out safely. If you want consistent bites, chop them a little smaller. As a rule of thumb I always teach that you should easily be able to fit everything in the bowl on the spoon in each bite. This helps keep the meal consistent.
Make sure to taste the soup as you go. This makes sure it is going to taste just the way you want it to because you can add more spices as you want. You can easily add spices but you cannot take them out. So always start with a small amount and work your way up! If you are tasting make sure to use a clean spoon each time.
Meal Prep and Storage tips for Broccoli Cheese Soup
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Storage for meal prep is super easy for this soup. After making it separate it out into smaller portions and let it cool. Then package it up and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to reheat it.
Soups like this are really easy to keep in the fridge or the freezer. All you have to do is let it cool and then you can store it in the fridge/freezer.
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To reheat the broccoli cheese soup all you have to do is put it in the microwave or saucepan and heat until it is warmed to your liking. If it got thick as it sits overnight just add a splash of milk and you will have it back to soupy perfection.
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Ingredients
Method
- Cook broccoli by steaming it in the steamer bag if using frozen according to package instructions. If you are using fresh wash and cut it into florets. Steam or boil until it is fork tender.
- In a saucepan, melt butter, whisk in flour, cook for 1-2 minutes on low.
- Slowly stir in liquids heat until desired thickness, this may take a few minutes.
- Then add cheese and melt it. Add seasonings and broccoli stirring in until it is incorporated. Heat until everyting is warm to your liking, do not boil.