Creamy broccoli soup is comfort food at it’s best. With garden fresh (or frozen) broccoli, cheddar cheese and cream this soup comes together quickly and uses items you probably already have on hand.
It’s been months since we picked the last large broccoli head from the garden but broccoli continues to make smaller heads after the large one is picked. These smaller heads make a great soup. Sometimes I use them to add to our vegetable stew but if I have enough (or if we still have a small cauliflower plant) I’ll make creamy broccoli soup.
Ingredients for Cream of Broccoli Soup
There are very few things you have to have to make creamy broccoli soup. You need broccoli, some kind of cream, seasonings and maybe a thickener. For the cream you could use milk, cream or cream cheese.
Obviously you need broccoli, but you can also use cauliflower to a make a cream of cauliflower soup. If I don’t have quite enough broccoli spears or heads, I’ll chop up some broccoli leaves to use as filler.
For seasoning you could use salt, pepper, onion and maybe a little cheddar cheese.
I like to cook the broccoli in a bit of chicken or vegetable broth to use as the soup base, but you can use water if you don’t have any broth.
For the thickener you can use a flour and milk (or water) mixture, corn starch, arrowroot, ground quinoa or even just put an immersion blender in the soup and blend it up. The possibilities are endless.
Pretty much all the soups I make follow this use-what-you-have theme. I’ve made creamy broccoli soup many different ways and my family can never tell the difference. I usually don’t measure but I did this time for you. This made enough to serve seven of us with a batch of no-fail biscuits.
It can also be served with Irish soda bread.
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Creamy broccoli soup is comfort food at it's best. With garden fresh (or frozen) broccoli, cheddar cheese and cream this soup comes together quickly and uses items you probably already have on hand.
Ingredients
- 3Tbs butter (you can use water or olive oil instead)
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 grated carrots (it gives it a more orange look and I need to use less cheddar cheese)
- 5 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups water or broth
- 2 cups milk (or a block of cream cheese or cream)
- Salt and pepper
- cheddar cheese
- flour for thickening (cornstarch, arrowroot or 1 cup cooked quinoa)
Instructions
Sauté the onions and grated carrots in the butter until onions are transparent.
Add broccoli and 2 cups broth or water. Cook until broccoli is tender but not mushy.
Add milk or cream or cream cheese, if you use cream cheese you'll probably need to add more water to thin it. Cook over medium-low heat. Don't let it boil once you've added the dairy.
Add salt and pepper - start with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add more if you family likes more salt and pepper.
If you want your soup thicker and less clumpy you can use an immersion blender and blend the soup smoother. This will also make it thicker.
You can also thicken it by mixing a tablespoon or two of flour or cornstarch into 1/3 cup of milk and then pouring that into the soup. If you do this you will probably need to turn the heat up in order for the flour or cornstarch to start thickening the soup. Just be careful to not let it really boil or it will separate the milk.
A new way of thickening soups that I have been trying is to cook some quinoa (1/2 cup quinoa to 1 cup water). Then I put it in my blender with a little of the soup and blend it up. When I add it back to the soup it thickens the soup up. This is a great alternative as it adds some protein to the soup.
Serve with biscuits and some grated cheddar cheese on top.
I think sometimes we make cooking and homemaking seem too hard. We have to have a recipe to make food for our family, our home needs to be filled with Pinterest perfect decor and we (and our children) always need to look put together.
None of that is the case. Our family just needs clean clothes, a tidy home and good food that fills their tummies. I want to encourage you to start playing around with some of the recipes your family likes to see what other recipes can be “use what you have” type recipes.
Do you have any favorite use-what-you-have soups? If so, share them in the comments.
JACQUELINE RAPKE
Saturday 21st of October 2023
I made this soup using broccoli stems, following the suggestion to use quinoa as a thickener, and omitting the cheese and carrots. We loved it and will it make again, trying to substitute a different liquid for the milk or cream for those who are milk intolerant. Love that the instructions can be used for other vegetables as well.
Angi Schneider
Thursday 2nd of November 2023
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your substitutions!
Anna @ NorthernHomestead
Wednesday 15th of April 2015
This looks so yummy! We love soups. The quinoa alternative is such a great idea, I have to try this. Pinning.
Angi Schneider
Wednesday 15th of April 2015
My family doesn't like soupy soups, they like them really thick and hearty. So I've been adding quinoa to several of them this winter and it's working out really well.