The weather outside sure is frightful, but with this Roasted Broccoli Cheddar Soup, my apartment is so delightful. Here's the next soup on my #soupseries- a take on the classic broccoli cheddar soup. I roast up my broccoli (because roasting is the new black) and use a mix of white and yellow cheddar to give it a sharper punch. Next I make a little roux to thicken it up, add some cream and stock, salt and pepper, duhhh, blend up some broccoli for smoothness, but then throw in some whole roasted broccoli florets at the end for that crunch.
Can't make enough of this soup, I'm hooked! And even Coco is too, my picky eater!
Let's get your warm! Get these ingredients in order. Don't forget to grate your cheese because buying already grated cheese is no fun. Oh and preheat your oven to 400F degrees.
Drizzle olive oil on baking sheet and add chopped broccoli florets directly on top, tossing in olive oil and seasoning with 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until crunchy and golden brown. * If you must, you can cover your baking sheet with aluminum foil, but I like my vegetables better when they roast directly on the baking sheet. Gets them crispy since they are exposed to more direct heat from the pan.
In a 6-quart saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour, whisking the roux until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in half and half, whisking constantly, cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and whisk to combine ingredients together, simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Meanwhile, remove roasted broccoli from oven. Set aside 1/4 cup of roasted broccoli to garnish the soup with and chop into smaller pieces (if needed). Add the remaining roasted broccoli into a blender and ladle in 3/4 cup of soup. Blend broccoli and soup together until completely blended. Add blended broccoli mix into the saucepan and stir together with the soup.
Add in grated cheese and stir all together. Mix in 1/4 cup of reserved chopped broccoli florets. Season with salt and pepper. I usually will add 1 teaspoon at a time of each till it's just right.
Serve hot because it really hits the spot!
Roasted Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 broccoli heads, trimmed and chopped into florets
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter, plus 1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half and half
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups yellow Cheddar, grated
1 cup white Cheddar, grated
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Drizzle olive oil on baking sheet and add chopped broccoli florets directly on top, tossing in olive oil and seasoning with 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until crunchy and golden brown.
In a 6-quart saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour, whisking the roux until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in half and half, whisking constantly, cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and whisk to combine ingredients together, simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Meanwhile, remove roasted broccoli from oven. Set aside 1/4 cup of roasted broccoli to garnish the soup with and chop into smaller pieces (if needed). Add the remaining roasted broccoli into a blender and ladle in 3/4 cup of soup. Blend broccoli and soup together until completely blended. Add blended broccoli mix into the saucepan and stir together with the soup. Add in grated cheese and stir all together. Mix in 1/4 cup of reserved broccoli florets and season with salt and pepper, to taste (add 1 teaspoon at a time). Serve warm!