This soup hits the spot when I want a simple, quick, yet indulgent way to enjoy my all-time favorite veggie. It captures the bright taste of broccoli sweetened by aromatics and smoothed out with melted sharp cheddar.
The real recipephany here is a bit of magic. Instead of turning olive drab—as broccoli likes to do after a few minutes of cooking—this soup stays vibrant green. How? A few handfuls of spinach do the trick. So it looks as fresh as it tastes. Crusty bread makes it a meal.
Don’t confuse this with the thick, cream-laden broccoli-cheddar soup made popular by Panera restaurants. Our favorite cream alternative, bouillon, rounds out the flavor so you get a rich-tasting bowl of comfort without the extra fat.
But of course, we won’t skimp on the cheese.
Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 leek, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and rinsed, and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups water
- 4 1-cup vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes, or equivalent from jar or larger cubes
- 1 large head broccoli (about 2 pounds)
- 2 cups fresh spinach, lightly packed
- 1½ cups shredded sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese like Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar
- Black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Cut the broccoli top into small florets. Peel and cut some of the stalk into small pieces.
- In a large pot, heat oil and butter and sauté the onion and leek slowly until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, stir and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add water, bouillon and broccoli. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until broccoli has barely cooked and remains bright green, about 3-5 minutes.
- Turn off heat, let cool a little, and add spinach. Using a blender, purée until smooth. (If using a countertop blender, you may need to process in batches.) Stir in 1¼ cups of cheese and place back on low heat just to melt the cheese.
- Add pepper and salt if necessary. Garnish with remaining shredded cheddar.
