Roasted Broccoli & White Cheddar Soup: Easy Comfort for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Broccoli is one of those foods that I like the flavor of and wish I could eat more of but unfortunately it doesn't like me very much and it gives me stomach pains unless it is pureed into something like soup. Because of this, I look for variations on pureed broccoli soups and was drawn to this one from The Kitchn website because it roasts the broccoli first and also adds white cheddar to the mix. It's a bit healthier than the truly gooey and decadent broccoli cheese soups, but still rich and tasty.

I made a few minor changes to the recipe--adding more potato and leek and using a low-sodium mock-chicken stock for the base. My changes are noted in red below.

Roasted Broccoli & White Cheddar Soup
Slightly Adapted from Anjali Prasertong via The Kitchn
(Serves 4)

2 Tbsp oil, divided
1 medium leek, white & light green parts, thinly sliced (I used 2 leeks)
1 Medium Yukon Gold potato (I used 2 potatoes)
1 16-oz bag frozen broccoli or 1 large bunch broccoli (about 2 lbs) cut into small florets (stems discarded or saved for another use)
6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth or water (I used vegan mock-chicken broth)
1 cup shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese (about 4 oz)
salt
freshly-ground black pepper
creme fraiche, plain yogurt, or lemon wedge for serving (I used a little extra grated cheese)

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 450°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potato into 1-inch chunks.

Add the broth or water and potato to the pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, spread the broccoli out onto 2 baking pans. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over the broccoli, sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and pepper, and roast for 5 minutes. Stir the broccoli and return to the oven for 5 minutes more. (I roasted mine in the toaster oven for about 15 minutes.)
 
Once the soup is boiling, add the broccoli and return to a boil. Reduce the heat as needed and simmer until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes. 

Remove from the heat. Purée soup with an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
 
Serve topped with a small dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, or a squeeze of lemon, and finish with a grind of fresh pepper.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes/Results: Smooth, creamy and good, this is a nice and simple broccoli soup that goes together easily and tastes great. I like the tang of the white cheddar and how roasting the broccoli gives it a sweetness and more pronounced flavor. You could easily use a good melting vegan cheese in it if you want a vegan version and maybe add a touch of lemon juice to give it a little sharpness of the white cheddar. Good as a light lunch or paired with a sandwich for a dinner or heartier appetites, I would happily make it again.

Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen:

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared the Cuban Mojo Pork & Black Bean Soup she made, saying, "So..... for the In My Kitchen linkup I shared a Mojo Cuban Pork dinner which was prepared in the Instant Pot. Doug did this and it was excellent.  There was enough leftover that I made a soup with the remainder. And here's the soup. Lovely flavors of Mojo marinated pork with rice and black beans.  I added some broth, parsley and more onions."

 
Debra of Eliot's Eats brought Spicy Butternut Soup with Chorizo and Walnuts and says it's a "creamy, spicy and warming soup." Also, "This turned out delicious. The chipotle pepper gives it just the right amount of smokiness that the chorizo could be omitted. I really liked the crunch of the walnuts, too. Unfortunately, my cream cheese decided not to melt smoothly so I had little blobs of white. It didn’t deter the taste though. Seriously, this is good stuff."

 
Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared Harvest Thanksgiving Salad and said, "Looking for a spectacular salad that is beautiful and healthy for Thanksgiving? I recently tasted this fabulous salad at a friends' house. It looked like a side dish, but she called it a salad! Maybe because it served at room temperature which is great for freeing up the host from last minute heating. ... It was made with lightly blanched kale, roasted acorn squash, sweet pomegranate seeds, sliced apple, and chopped pistachios! It was absolutely delicious any screamed fall!"

Mahalo to everyone who joined in this week!
 
About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up her in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to it on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!