Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Creamy broccoli cheese soup made smooth with Velveeta, blended with milk and flour so it never curdles, then enriched with half-and-half. A quick, velvety comfort-food soup in about 40 minutes.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minFew soups deliver comfort as reliably as a bowl of creamy broccoli cheese soup, and this one stays foolproof and velvety thanks to a smart trick: Velveeta. It melts into the soup perfectly smooth, with none of the graininess or curdling that can plague a cheese soup.
Rather than building a roux, you blend the milk, cheese and flour together until smooth before they ever hit the heat, which guarantees a silky, lump-free base.
Cooking the broccoli right in the water it will join, with no draining, keeps all that flavor in the pot.
One key warning from the cook: do not overcook it. Beyond about twenty-five minutes the soup tightens into a thick cheese sauce, delicious over potatoes but no longer soup. Pull it while it is still pourable, since it thickens more as it sits. Blend it smooth or leave it chunky, then serve with crusty bread.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep stirring as it heats. The cheese and flour can scorch on the bottom if left alone.
- Do not cook past about 25 minutes, as the recipe warns, or the soup turns into cheese sauce rather than soup.
- Remember it thickens as it cools, so pull it while slightly looser than you want it.
Variations
- Use 2% milk and light Velveeta to lighten it, as the recipe suggests.
- Swap Velveeta for sharp cheddar for more flavor, adding it off the heat to avoid graininess.
- Stir in cooked diced potato, ham or a pinch of nutmeg.
Ingredients
Directions
In large saucepan, cook broccoli in 1 cup water; do not drain.
Put milk, cheese, and flour into blender; cover and blend until smooth.
Add half-and-half and bouillon cubes.
Cook, stirring, over medium heat until hot and mixture thickens.
Mixture will thicken more upon sitting.
Puree to desired consistency if desired.
Makes 6 cups.
Serve with crusty bread or croutons if needed.
NOTE: I like to cut down a bit on the richness this soup has by using 2% milk; and Velveeta “Light” cheese.
Keep stirring-as it may burn. Do not cook for more than 25 minutes as it becomes a great cheese sauce after a while-good for pouring over potatoes-but not good if you want soup.
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