Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup, without the cream.
Mind blown? Let me explain.
Clearly, I have a whole broccoli + cheddar + soup thing going on right now that I need to deal with, but, my slight obsession has resulted in some pretty tasty recipes so, you’re welcome? I think? No matter the fact, I am incredibly excited to share this Broccoli Cheddar Sweet Potato Soup recipe with you. It is everything you love about Panera’s with a ~lighter~ twist. This soup will have you wanting to cozy up for a nap right after eating it. It is warm, aromatic, and full. of. cheese. I swear, I could almost, ALMOST be vegan if it weren’t for my love of cheese and greek yogurt. I really like dairy people and I am not proud, but it is who I am!!
The creamy layer of flavor springing forth from this bowl comes directly from the blended broccoli stalk and sweet potato. I don’t know how this recipe has zero cream (well I mean I do, I wrote it), but on a blind-taste test I can guarantee that you wouldn’t be able to tell. Since you are probably already home, wrapped in your coziest jammies and a few episodes deep into Great British Baking Show (refer to last post), I think you should whip up a batch of this soup, toast and butter some bread, and get to slurping & dunking.
Wow. That sounded way grosser then I meant for it to, but seriously, make this soup. Now!
Broccoli Cheddar Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- Blender
- Large Dutch Oven or Pot
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes *optional
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1- 32 oz. low-sodium vegetable broth *can use low-sodium chicken broth if not vegetarian
Instructions
- Halve, peel, and coarsely chop the yellow onions. Peel, smash, and coarsely chop the garlic cloves. Try your best to cut everything into somewhat even pieces so that it all cooks at the same rate.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-low heat. Add in the onion, garlic and seasonings (paprika, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flake, salt & pepper). Stir to combine and cover with lid, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and just starting to caramelize, 8-10ish minutes.
- Trim the bottoms of the broccoli heads and peel the stalks. Separate the large stalks from the florets (it is a-okay to leave the thin bits of stalk attached to the individual florets). Set florets aside and coarsely chop the stalks in 1" pieces. Peel the sweet potato and cut into pieces similar to that of the stalk chunks.
- Add the broccoli stalk and sweet potato pieces to the pot and mix. Pour in 4 cups of vegetable broth, 1 cup of water, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boil is reached, reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot, letting cook until broccoli and potato pieces are tender. Poke them with a fork to test. if the fork passes cleanly through, it is ready. This will take 20 or so minutes.
- While the broccoli and potato pieces simmer, break apart the florets into small pieces. If not using pre-shredded cheddar, grate your cheese at this point.
- Add half of the small floret pieces to the pot, cover, and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Once the broccoli is bright green, it is ready. Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and puree until smooth. Do not overfill your blender; working in batches may be more appropriate here. Return the puree to the pot.
- Turn the heat to medium and add in remaining florets. Cover and cook until bright green. Stir in the 2 cups of cheese and stir until smooth.
- Place soup on low heat and serve. Pair with toasty bread and finish the soup with a crack of fresh pepper & salt to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you are NOT a fan of heat, do not add the red pepper flakes. If you ARE a fan of heat, add more to taste.
- If you do not have vegetable broth, you can just use 5 cups of water. You may need to add more salt in to compensate, depending on your taste. Chicken broth would also work as a sub, but the recipe would no longer be vegetarian.
- Serve this with bread. If you can, make sure it is warm, buttery, crusty bread. The addition of bread takes this soup to the next level.
- Soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or frozen for 1-2 months. Simply transfer the soup from freezer to fridge the night before you plan to consume. Re-heat on the stovetop if you are feeling extra or in the microwave if you are feeling efficient.
If you are feeling extra wild, you could even pair this soup with my Broccoli Cheddar Soup Scones. Overkill? Maybe a little. Delicious? Most likely.
I hope this recipe finds you happy, healthy, and doing all you can to stay busy and sane. As you can clearly tell, my favorite pastime during quarantine has been cooking, baking and this blog. I think you should lean into whatever brings you comfort and joy during trying times like these. Clearly, broccoli cheddar soup brings me a LOT of joy. I shall see you over on Instagram at @madseatz. Bye for now!
XOXO,
Mads