Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Today’s recipe is a soup with vegetables. In general, soups with non-veg items like chicken are very popular. Not many people prefer vegetables soups. Probably you will change your mind after having this one. I never liked vegetables when I were growing up as a kid, no matter how well it was cooked and how yummy they were. Most of the time, I refused to eat anything vegetable with the meal. Rather I loved all kind of crabs and proteins. My son got the same habit from me. He loves all kinds of non-veg dishes but doesn’t like any green stuff on his plate. Though I have changed my choice off late because of my husband who loves all kind of green vegetables and fruits, I am struggling to change my son’s hatred towards anything green. To our surprise, only veg thing he likes is soup.

 He is a big fan of Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup, but won’t touch the same vegetable while served with the meal. This Broccoli Soup is top of my son’s favorite list. Whenever we go to Subway or Panera Bread, he used order this soup and wants me to make the same at home. Recently I found some wonderful recipes for this soup and could make a yummy home-made version of the same. The recipe is quick and simple. This delicious recipe will keep you warm in this cold season. It has addictive cheesy flavor that will tempt you to have more. The soup is creamy and pieces of broccoli are so small that you hardly notice them. It goes perfect with crusty bread. For the rich texture of the soup, I used half and half, you can use whole milk too, and I used sharp cheddar cheese for extra flavor, you may use mild cheddar cheese. But don't forget to use freshly cracked black pepper to spice it up!

Recipe of Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup : Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Butter : 4 tbsp
Onion ( yellow ) : 1 medium sized ( finely chopped )
Flour : 4 tbsp 
Whole milk : 2 cups
Half-and-half : 1 cup
Vegetable Stock : 1 cup 
Chopped Broccoli : 1 lb (stems removed and discarded, florets cut into bite-size pieces.) 
Shredded Cheddar Cheese : 1 cup, and more for garnish
Salt : a dash
Pepper : ( freshly ground )
Nutmeg : pinch 

Method :

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are soften. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and mix well. Cook for another 1 minute. 

2. Add the milk and half-and-half to the pan and whisk slowly. Add the broccoli, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and the ground pepper. Cover and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Once Broccoli is tender, add the cheese and stir it well. 

3. Now take a blender, add the mixture and keep the blender on low and blend it up, still it will have a good amount of texture. You can puree it completely or use potato masher to break up the broccoli.

4. Finally whisk in the vegetable broth, re-warm it over low heat. Garnish with additional cheese and extra broccoli and serve hot!