If you’re like me, I crave a good, hearty soup in the winter time. Usually, I lean toward chicken noodle, but I decided to mix it up and go for some broccoli cheddar. This recipe is easy, quick, delicious, AND freezes beautifully! Serve with some toasted bread, and it is perfection!!
Here’s what you need:
3-4 large broccoli crowns—chopped
2 carrots—-slice them in half then dice them
2 ribs of celery—again, slice in half lengthwise and dice those bad boys
1 onion—diced (check my tips page for easy dicing)
3 cups chicken stock (about 3/4 a box)
4 tbsp butter, plus a little extra for sautéing
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
8oz or more of cheddar cheese—I HIGHLY recommend grating your own off the block, but if you use bagged pre-shredded, stay tuned below.
How to start:
If you have an instapot, set it to sauté. If not, heat a big pot. Add a little butter to your pot. Throw in the onions, and sautés intel tender. Next, add your carrots, celery, and broccoli. Let those veggies sauté for a few more minutes, then add your chicken stock.
Instapot users: at this point, seal your pot and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. You’re definitely going to want to manually vent after 4 minutes. No instapot? No problem! Bring your broth to a boil and let it ride on med/high heat until your broccoli is tender. Probably around 8-10 mins.
While your broth is cooking: in a small pot, melt your 4tbsp butter. Whisk in your flour one tbsp at a time until it is fully incorporated. Then add your milk, and stir over low/medium heat until it gets thick and creamy. If you’re using bagged cheese go ahead and add it to your milk/sauce mixture, and stir until it’s all melted (YUMMMM).
With your milk/sauce mixture: add it to your pot of veggies and broth—-stir until incorporated.
If you shredded your own cheese add it to your pot now, and stir until it is melted in there.
Let it sit for a few more minutes, then ENJOY!
A few more tips: you can hit it with an immersion blender to smoothen it out. Also, freeze those leftovers! I used a gallon sized ziplock bag!!
Easy.Quick.Delicious. 