A creamy, hearty broccoli cheddar soup with the welcome addition of bacon! Such a delicious homemade soup that you'll want to make (and eat) over and over again.
Prep Time30mins
Cook Time30mins
Total Time1hr
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: Mandy Jackson
Ingredients
3tablespoonsunsalted butter
4slicesbacon,chopped
2largecarrots,peeled and diced
2largecelery stalks,diced
1smallyellow onion,diced
1/3cup flour
4cupsreduced sodium chicken broth
2mediumredskin potatoes,peeled and diced small
1(16- or 12-ounce) bagfrozen broccoli crowns,diced (see note)
1 1/2cupswhole milk
1teaspoontable salt
1teaspoondried mustard
1/2teaspoonpepper
16ouncessharp cheddar,shredded
Directions
Melt the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is beginning to crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving as much fat in the pot as you can. Add the carrot, celery, and onion and cook - stirring occasionally - until softened, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until no dry bits of flour remain. Pour in the chicken broth a splash at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the potatoes and increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.Add the broccoli, milk, salt, dried mustard, and pepper and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft.Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar a handful at a time. Once the cheese is melted, stir in the reserved bacon. Serve hot!
Notes
Broccoli. I use a 16-ounce bag of broccoli florets, but 12-ounce bags are much more common. Either one will work for this recipe. A 12-ounce bag will yield about 4 cups of diced broccoli, and a 16-ounce bag will yield a generous 5 cups of diced broccoli. Not a major difference in the overall quantity of vegetables in this soup.You can substitute the same amount of fresh broccoli if you want.Using a food processor. There is lots of chopping and shredding in this recipe! A food processor will make this much quicker - Start with shredding the cheese, then remove it to a bowl. Switch to the blade and add chunks of onion, carrot, and celery and pulse until diced small. Scrape into a second bowl. Potatoes and broccoli are chopped by hand and the prep is done!
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