This broccoli and cheddar soup makes for a delicious and healthy lunch for the whole family. This vegetarian dish is hearty thanks to the cheese and brown rice.
Soups are a great way to get veggies in front of your kids and this cheddar and broccoli soup is no different.
Even though broccoli is the star of the show your kids might not even mind it thanks to the delicious flavour of cheddar cheese. And if you think that won’t cut it, you can blend the soup for a creamy consistency that hides all the vegetables.
This broccoli cheddar soup is not your typical thick and creamy soup. Instead, it is light, thanks to the small amount of flour, and hearty thanks to the brown rice.
This recipe is also vegetarian but you can easily add chicken to make it even more filling.
Some people will probably say that I have this backwards but I leave the cheese sauce for last. Typically, broccoli and cheddar soups start with the thickening sauce, and it makes sense to only dirty one pot. But you can’t beat a mirepoix.
Mirepoix is a combination of onion, celery and carrot, cooked (usually for a longer period) without being browned. The juices and flavours released by the onion, carrots and celery, add so much flavour to the soup.
Since the only way to get a mirepoix and all of its assets into your soup is by cooking them in the same pot, that’s what we are doing here.
Trust me, its totally worth it and makes blending in the cheese foolproof.
Preparing Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
Produce
Broccoli: Broccoli is a green vegetable that almost resembles a tree. It is in the same family as brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower and cabbage. Broccoli is high in vitamin C, fiber, and Vitamin B6. It can be eaten both raw and cooked.
Carrots: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot. You can use either in this recipe.
Celery: Celery is made up of a long stalk that has leaves at the top. Celery is packed with fiber and is a very common vegetable used in many cuisines. It has a very distinct earthy flavour.
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more.
Herbs and Spices
Dried thyme: This herb has an amazing flavour that goes so well with most meats and veggies. It is part of the mint family and is a small bush, with branches that are covered in small leaves. We use a whole sprig or branch per packet so no need to pick off the leaves.
Onion powder: Onion powder is made from dehydrated onions that are ground. White, yellow or red onions can be used to make onion powder. It is a very common spice that is used in many spice mixes.
Garlic powder: Garlic powder is dehydrated garlic ground to a powder. It’s sweeter than raw garlic so it just adds a hint of garlic flavour without the sharpness.
Paprika: I use sweet paprika, or just paprika, which is most commonly found in grocery stores. It is not sweet in the sugary sense, but compared to its spicy and smoked siblings it is definitely the sweetest of them all.
Pantry
Stock: I use vegetable stock in this recipe but you can equally use water or water and bouillon powder. If you prefer a less saucy stew reduce the quantity to 1 cup. The stock has two main purposes in this recipe. It helps to cook the potatoes a bit faster and it reduces the sourness of the tomatoes by diluting them.
Brown rice: Brown rice is a whole grain. It has only had the outer hull removed, with the bran layer and cereal germ intact.
Flour: All-purpose white flour is all you need for this recipe. It’s the key component to thickening the cheese sauce.
Dairy
Milk: I use full-fat (3.25%) or partly skimmed (2%) milk for this recipe. Adding milk and reducing the cream makes the sauce feel lighter. It also cuts the fat quite a bit if that’s something you look for.
Cheddar cheese: I like to use old cheddar in this recipe to add a bold flavour. The longer the cheese is aged the sharper the flavour will be. Medium cheddar will work as well but you may need to play around with the spices a bit to make sure there is enough flavour.
Butter: Unsalted butter adds a delicious flavour base when slightly browned. It is also key in making the roux that thickens the sauce.
How to Make Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
As always, we start with a little prep. Start with chopping some of the veggies, then we’ll start cooking, and prep a little more at the same time. Multitasking is the key to efficient cooking.
Peel and dice the onion and carrots and wash and dice the celery.
Next, add the oil to a medium pot and heat on medium. Once hot, add the onions, carrots and celery to the oil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the veggies cook, chop the broccoli. Cut the florets into bite-size pieces and dice the stems to roughly match the size of the other vegetables.
Add the stems to the pot and press in the garlic. Next, add the herbs and spices to the pot, stir and sauté for a minute or two. Then add the stock and the brown rice to the pot and cook covered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
After 10 minutes add the broccoli florets, cover again and cook for another 10 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, grate the cheese and get the ingredients for the cheese sauce ready because it’s time to make the sauce.
Add the butter to a small pot and melt it on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until fully combined. Then cook for a minute until golden and add the milk and paprika. Continue stirring until it begins to thicken.
Once thickened, lower the heat to a simmer and add the cheddar cheese a ¼ cup at a time. Keep stirring until all the cheese is melted then remove the pot from heat.
Remove the soup from the heat as well and whisk in the cheese sauce. Stir vigorously until the soup and cheese sauce are fully integrated.
Does broccoli and cheddar soup need to be blended?
The short answer is NO. The longer answer is that it can be, but it’s entirely up to your preference.
This soup is intentionally light and not creamy however if you prefer a creamy consistency you have two options. You can partially blend it or fully blend it into a cream of broccoli and cheddar soup.
You can use an immersion blender or stand blender for either of these tasks. If using a stand blender please be very careful. The soup is hot, hot, hot!
Note: The soup will continue to thicken over time as the rice will continue to absorb the liquid.
Substitutions
Brown Rice: You can use any type of rice that you have on hand. Note that brown rice takes a little longer to cook. If you are using white rice, add the broccoli florets at the same time as the rice and cook until the rice is tender.
Vegetables: You can add any vegetables that you like or have on hand. I personally think the carrots, onions and celery together are critical to the flavour but I also don’t always have all three in the fridge.
Serving Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Broccoli cheddar soup is one of the most comforting soups in my opinion. This version is light yet hearty so it makes a perfect lunch all on its own. If you’re feeling extra hungry it’s the perfect side to any sandwich or wrap. Try it with:
To keep it a bit lighter while adding variety, try it with one of our delicious salads:
- Summer Chickpea Salad
- Creamy Dill Potato Salad
- Simple Spinach Salad
- Caesar Salad (with or without baked chicken breast)
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Broccoli and Cheddar Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Small pot
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 90 g carrots 2 medium carrots
- 90 g celery 1 stalk
- 180 g onion 1 large onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 375 g broccoli 1 crown with stems
- 1.5 L vegetable stock 6 cups
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup brown rice
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
Instructions:
- Dice the onion, carrots and celery.90 g carrots, 90 g celery, 180 g onion
- Add 2 tbsp of oil to a medium pot and heat on medium. Once hot, add the veggies to the oil and cook for 5 minutes.90 g carrots, 90 g celery, 2 tbsp oil, 180 g onion
- Next, chop the broccoli. Cut the florets into bite-size pieces and dice the stems to match the size of the other vegetables. Add the stems to the pot and press in the garlic.375 g broccoli, 1 garlic clove
- Add the herbs and spices to the pot, stir and sauté for a minute. Then add the stock to the pot. Add the brown rice to the pot and cook covered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.1.5 L vegetable stock, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, ½ cup brown rice
- After 10 minutes add the broccoli florets, cover again and cook for another 10 minutes.375 g broccoli
- While the soup is cooking, grate the cheese and get the ingredients for the cheese sauce ready.120 g cheddar cheese
- Now it’s time to make the cheese sauce. Add the butter to a small pot and melt on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until fully combined. Cook for a minute until golden then add the milk and paprika, and stir. Once thickened add the cheddar cheese a bit at a time and stir until it’s all melted.1 ½ tbsp butter, 1 ½ tbsp flour, 200 ml milk, ½ tsp paprika, 120 g cheddar cheese
- Remove the soup from the heat and whisk in the cheese sauce.
