Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

• •3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• •1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• •2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
• •3 cloves garlic, minced
• •3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• •2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• •2 cups whole milk or half-and-half
• •1 large head broccoli (about 1 lb), florets and tender stems chopped into small pieces
• •8 oz sharp cheddar, grated from a block just before use
• •1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• •1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• •1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• •1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. 1Prepare all ingredients before you turn on the heat: dice the onion and carrots into roughly 1/4-inch pieces, mince the garlic, chop the broccoli florets and peel and chop any thick stems into small bite-sized pieces, and grate the cheddar from a cold block using the large holes of a box grater. Set everything aside in separate bowls. Pre-shredded bagged cheese is coated with starch and will turn the soup grainy — grating it yourself is the single most important technique here.
2. 2Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter is foaming, add the diced onion and carrot with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 9 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrot has started to soften. Lower the heat if anything begins to brown — you want them tender, not caramelised. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. 3Sprinkle the flour over the softened vegetables and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula for 2 minutes over medium heat. The flour should coat everything and smell faintly nutty but not raw — this is your roux, and cooking it fully here prevents a floury taste in the finished soup.
4. 4Pour in the stock about half a cup at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition to keep the mixture smooth and lump-free before adding the next splash. Once all the stock is incorporated, add the milk or half-and-half in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a gentle simmer — small bubbles around the edge, not a rolling boil.
5. 5Add all the chopped broccoli (florets and stems), the mustard powder, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is completely tender when pierced with a fork and the soup has thickened slightly.
6. 6For body and a creamy texture without pureeing everything, use an immersion blender to blend roughly one-third of the soup directly in the pot for about 10 to 15 seconds, leaving visible broccoli pieces for texture. Alternatively, ladle about 2 cups of soup into a countertop blender, blend until smooth, and stir it back in. Either way, the goal is a thicker base with intact broccoli throughout.
7. 7Remove the pot from the heat entirely. This step is critical: the soup must not be simmering or boiling when you add the cheese. Wait 60 seconds after removing from heat, then add the grated cheddar in three or four handfuls, stirring each addition until completely melted before adding the next. The residual heat is sufficient — boiling cheese causes the proteins to seize and the fat to separate, turning the soup oily and grainy.
8. 8Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. The mustard powder and nutmeg should be present as background warmth, not identifiable flavours. If the soup is thicker than you like, stir in a splash of warm stock.
9. 9Ladle into deep bowls and serve immediately. Crusty bread, a sourdough roll, or croutons on top complete the meal. If reheating leftovers, warm gently over low heat, stirring often, and never let it boil.

💡 If the finished soup looks greasy or broken, whisk in a tablespoon of warm milk off the heat — it will usually pull it back together.

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