Cream of Broccoli Soup

Delicious. Velvety. Simple. Yum!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Add Cheddar: Cheddar Broccoli Soup

What You Need:

2 Cups Stock/ Broth

4 Cups Whole Milk

1 Onion

3 cups Frozen Broccoli or 1 large Head of Fresh Broccoli

1 cup Flour (Can Use Gluten Free)

1 stick butter

1 tbsp Salt

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tbsp Parsley Flakes

What to Do:

In a large soup pot, start browning the onions with 1 tbsp butter. When Brown, remove and place aside for later use. Place the stick of butter and cup of flour into the pot, and let them combine. I know... This not only looks strange, but you're thinking, great a lump of dough! NO no, this is a roux, aka a thickening agent that will bind the cream, stock, and yum of your soup. Trust me;)

The Roux will burn if left alone. This would result in repeating the steps and wasting the first one... to prevent this, just keep stirring it, breaking it apart, stirring, etc for about 5 minutes. This will result in a lovely blonde roux... which is what you want.  Next, heat the stock/broth in the microwave, then whisk the stock/broth into the roux. Do this like you are relieving all the stress of the day. Do not worry about clumps, the roux when whisked will dissolve into the stock and will thicken immediately!  Whisking, add the milk next, to lessen that thickness in the pot and combine it to the milk... this will be smooth and lump free. Lower the heat to medium low, add all of your spices, and leave to lightly simmer, stirring often with that whisk--the roux will want to hang out near the bottom where the heat is.

Side Note/Step 3: The broccoli, if frozen, is pretty much cooked, soft, and useable. Thaw and viola! Fresh Broccoli, however, is not. Either way, you will need to decide if you want a smooth soup, a chunky soup, or a mixture of the two. I love having both a velvety smooth soup with pieces of broccoli. What I did today, to both expedite the soup and to make sure it would puree quickly, was this:  the heating liquid (milk mixture) is slowly cooking, add some of that to a blender, add the broccoli, making sure you hold the lid down, and puree.  Viola!  Add to the pot and the soup is just about done -- just let it sit on low for 30 minutes, stirring often.

You can whisk Cheddar into the soup once it is pureed, letting it simmer, and whisking to keep ti smooth.  I like to top the soup off with cheddar as well!  Either way, this soup is great!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Aimee