The broccoli cheddar soup from Panera practically raised me as a child. I just thought it was the greatest thing. So when it came to deciding on a new soup recipe to try out, it was pretty easy choice. Now I won’t say this recipe quite measures up to the creamy and cheesiness of Panera’s, however it brings its own strengths to the table.
While I do love a classic broccoli cheddar soup, this recipe is a lighter take on the beloved dish. It uses both broccoli and cauliflower, and a bit of cheese to bring out the “cheddar” flavor. While is is quite vegetable heavy, I find it the perfect mix between a good healthy meal and an all time classic.
One thing about me is that I love to add broccoli and cauliflower to soup. Any chance I get, I will probably sneak one or the other (or both) in. This soup has both, wahoo!
What You Will Need
Feel free to add more/less of any ingredient in order to customize this soup to fit your individual preference! This is the way that I like it, but I’m well aware we all have different tastes.
- Olive Oil
- Garlic, minced
- 1 Sweet Onion
- Carrots (I prefer baby carrots)
- 2 small Broccoli heads
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- Salt
- Pepper
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Vegetable Broth (I use low-sodium)
- I typically add 1-2 more cups of water, depending on preference of soup
- Quick barley (optional)
- Cheddar cheese
Tips on How to Make This “Broccoli Cheddar” Soup
Chopping Carrots: I like to chop the carrots into small “rounds” given the baby carrot size (about 1/2-1 cm thick)
Vegetable Broth: I like to use 6 cups of low sodium vegetable broth. If after adding the 6 cups of broth it seems as though the soup could use a bit more liquid, I add in water 1 cup at a time. I often use about 1-2 cups of water in addition to the initial 6 cups of broth.
Chopping Broccoli and Cauliflower: I like to cut the broccoli and cauliflower into a variety of pieces. Most of the time I find myself simply breaking the pieces apart with my hands (some bigger pieces, some smaller) and using a knife to cut some pieces into smaller bits. It’s really up to preference. I always use my immersion blender once the soup in finished to partially blend up the soup, so this part doesn’t really matter all that much!
Immersion Blender: Once the broccoli and cauliflower have softened (cooked for approximately 12 minutes), I like to break out my very prized possession. My immersion blender. I like to roughly blend the soup- not to completely blended and smooth soup, but to a cohesive and chopped consistency. I simply pulse the immersion blender amongst the soup, breaking down larger pieces and allowing all of the elements of the soup to combine!
Barley: I have developed quite an admiration for barley. I like to just throw 1/3 cup of it into my soups sometimes. It just adds a grain that is appreciated sometimes. If you do not care for barley, you can simply omit it or substitute it for any other grain such as rice, quinoa, or farro.
- I always add the barley in after blending the soup with an immersion blender.
- If you choose to use the barley, this is were you may need extra liquid (broth/water) since the barley will absorb some of the soup broth. If you choose not to use the barley, you may not need to add in any additional liquid.
Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup
Course: A lil Healthier, Meals, Recipes, Soup’s5
servings30
minutes30
minutes250
kcal1
hourIngredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 golden onion, diced
1 cup carrots
2 small broccoli heads
1 medium head of cauliflower
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 cups vegetable broth (I use low-sodium)
I typically add 1-2 more cups of water, depending on preference of soup
1/3 cup quick barley (optional)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Prep your vegetables by chopping the onion and carrots.
- Heat a large pot on medium/high heat with olive oil inside. While the pot preheats, prepare garlic for mincing (this seems to always take me forever).
- Add the onion, carrots, and minced garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion is translucent.
- Add the 6 cups of vegetable broth to start, turning the burner up to high heat.
- Chop up the broccoli and cauliflower; I like to do a variety of sizes, some pieces smaller and some larger. Add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower into the soup, along with the salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer (around medium). Simmer for approximately 15 minutes, until the broccoli and cauliflower is fork tender.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your desired consistency (I like to pulse it until it seems roughly chopped and cohesive). If the soup seems too thick, add water 1/2 cup at a time.
- this step is entirely optional
- Add in the barley if using, and the cheese.
- You can certainly add however much cheese you would like!
- cup of milk (any milk, I would personally use almond) would also be great!
- Let simmer for about 12-15 more minutes, allowing the barley to cook. Barley will absorb moisture so more water may be needed after it cooks.
- Then its ready to serve; it makes about 5-6 decent sized servings!
