Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup: Chesy Comfort for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

OK, so this soup may have a bit of an identity crisis. It's not vegan but has some dairy-free ingredients, mainly because I used what I had on hand and what I like to do to keep the amount of dairy down. So, if you want it one way or the other, sub in all dairy or replace the dairy with non-dairy ingredients. It's all good! The nutritional yeast is optional but I like the extra nuttiness and layer of rich cheesy flavor it adds.

I did go with a Panera vibe for this soup. We don't have Panera in Hawaii so making a similar version at home is a good option. Also, I do blend up almost all of my broccoli soup because oddly enough, it's the only way broccoli agrees with my stomach. You can leave more un-blended if you want a chunkier soup. 

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

By Deb, Kahakai KItchen with a nod to Panera

(Makes About 6 Servings)

2 Tbsp butter

about 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped (I used these frozen caramelized ones) 

1 large carrot, diced or grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup flour

2 cups coconut milk or half-and-half

2 cups veggie stock (I used not chicken bouillon)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast, optional

4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used frozen) 

8 oz freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese, separated

sea salt and black pepper

bread bowl to serve, optional

 

In a large soup pot, melt the butter and sautee the onions and carrot until soft and onions are turning golden. Add the garlic celery salt, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper and saute another minute or two. 

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the coconut milk and chicken stock and whisk until flour is blended in. 

 

Stir in the nutritional yeast if using, add broccoli and cook over low heat, about 20-25 minutes until broccoli and carrots are tender. 

Blend soup as desired--from a ladle or two to coarsely blending it all as I did. Return soup to low heat and stir in about 6-oz of the cheddar cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve in bread bowls if desired, with a genrous sprinkle of the reserved cheese on top. Enjoy! 

Notes/Results: This soup is just what I wanted for this slightly gray and mellow Sunday. It totally hit the spot. Rich and just cheesy enough without being cloying. I like the creaminess of the mostly blended soup but the great thing about soups like this is that you can really just change it up the way you like and you'll have something delicious. I will happily make this again.

Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

Simona of briciole is here with a creamy Romanesco Broccoli Soup (my soup's cooler, more sophisticated cousin!) ;-) that she made for this round of Cook the Books. She says, "The main ingredient of my current favorite soup is one of my favorite vegetables: Romanesco broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). It's impossible not to be fascinated by this vegetable's shape, its geometric beauty. And it is not just pretty, it has also a great flavor, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, and slightly nutty."

 

Crafty Gardener made Sausage and Bean Soup, saying "There is nothing like comfort food on a really cold day and this ‘Soup’er recipe is just that. It really isn’t all homemade but it is made at home! Most of the ingredients come right from the can and just get all mixed in and cooked together.  But sometimes you just need a quick hearty meal to make."

Thank you for joining me this week, Simona and Crafty Gardener!

 
(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 to Souper Sundays 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 add a 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 this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 Have a happy, healthy week!