Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp salted butter
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic or 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 6 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 ¼ cups milk
- 14-16 oz chicken broth
- 3 cups broccoli chopped
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste
Don't Want to Plan? I Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week's Weekly Meal Plans!Equipment
4.5 Quart Dutch Oven This is one of the workhorses in my kitchen. I love my Lodge Dutch Ovens!
Cutting Boards For chopping broccoli and cutting onions. Plus, they are just beautiful.
Sharp Chef's Knives For cutting up everything. These are good quality knives and reasonably priced. I love them.
Method Start Cooking
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and shredded carrot. Let cook about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic and the flour. Stir around and let cook about a minute.
- Pour in the milk and the chicken broth, stirring to combine.
- Add the chopped broccoli. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Stir until the soup thickens and comes to a boil. Stay close to the pot — you are working with flour and milk, and it will scald to the bottom if you walk away.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove from the heat. Add the heavy cream, the cheddar, and the Parmesan. Stir until everything is blended and melted.
- Serve warm with bread.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
This makes a big pot — about eight generous bowls with bread on the side. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat and stir often; a cheese soup will separate if it comes back up to a hard boil. I do not recommend freezing this one — the milk and cheese turn grainy after thawing.
Chop the broccoli fairly small so every spoonful gets some. Shred your cheddar off the block if you have a minute — bagged shredded cheese is coated to keep it from clumping, and that coating is what makes a cheese soup go gritty. Add the cheese off the heat, a handful at a time, and let each one disappear before you add the next. Start light on the cayenne. You can always pass more at the table.
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