I blasted my heater on the way to the gym today. It was a chilly 68 degrees. Don’t laugh. This Arizona/Florida girl likes the heat. Anytime I have to put real shoes on, besides my flip flops, I get grumpy and agitated. The cool front had me craving some real comfort food and it seems like I always turn to Mel’s Kitchen Cafe for that.
Let me tell you something about broccoli cheese soup. A couple of years ago I was in charge of making soup for 250 women. We had a couple of different flavors but the broccoli cheese soup was gone WAY before the others. It tends to be a crowd favorite. This soup is thick, creamy, cheesy, and easy to make. I love the flavor that the Swiss cheese adds.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Prep Time
22 hrs 14 mins
Cook Time
22 hrs 14 mins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 small onion , diced finely
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese , preferably sharp or extra sharp
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 3 cups chopped , lightly steamed or blanched broccoli (I left mine in pretty big chunks)
Instructions
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Note: I used Mel's tip of cooking the broccoli in a glass bowl covered in saran wrap in the microwave for 3-4 minutes while you prepare the rest of the soup. The broccoli comes out perfect.
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Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes.
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In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour, salt and pepper. Cook together, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium heat until soup starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. Add warmed chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended.
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Add cheeses and stir until completely melted. Stir in cooked broccoli. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Mine was really thick because I think I added more broccoli than it calls for but that's how I like it. If you need to thin it out you can whisk in some more milk or chicken broth. If it's too thin, you can simmer it a bit longer to thicken it up.
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Serve immediately in bowls or bread bowls. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe Notes
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
I'm Christy Denney, The Girl Who Ate Everything. I can't be left alone with a warm cinnamon roll or chocolate chip cookie. 
totally looks YUM – but i’m lactose – so not a good idea for me!
I am in AZ and I feel the same way, I hate to wear shoes that are not sandals or flip flops. The soup looks great.
Oh yum! We are having ‘chilly’ weather here in Texas and this soup looks perfect for dinner tonight!
Lordy, mercy; this looks delicioso!
Officially the next soup in my ‘to-make’ list!
This recipe looks great. I always sort of wing it when I make broccoli cheese soup, so I will follow this recipe next time and see how it goes!
I’ve been eating Broccoli cheese soup like crazy this pregnancy! Thanks for posting
I also LOVE broccoli cheese soup. But add broken/cut spaghetti to mine, which makes the soup more filling and comfy!
i just realized that i know you! it took me a minute to place it after seeing your picture, but we worked together at Outback probably a decade or so ago. how funny! i won’t be offended if you don’t remember me, it’s been a long time. anyway, i love your recipes and your blog! sarah
I want this so bad!
I’m glad you like the soup but mostly I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that gets irritable when I have to give up flip flops in favor of socks and shoes. And this is coming from someone who lives in the land of Wisconsin where winter lasts all year long. Hope it warms back up for you!
THANK YOU for posting this!! My hubby and I LOVE broccoli and cheese soup but my two different attempts at making it turned out less than desirable. I’m excited to try this recipe, especially with freezing rain/snow headed our way this weekend. 🙂
This is my all time favorite soup! Great recipe 🙂
Broccoli and cheese is always a hit in our dining table, be it lunch or dinner. I am sure this soup version will be a blast too! Thanks for posting! I will defibitely try this!
The Swiss cheese is so unexpected in this! Mel never lets me down – I have to try this recipe!!
This looks delicious! I love broccoli and I love cheese! What a perfect way to combine the 2!
You have a great blog and I am a follower! I would love it if you stopped by and check out my blog some time!
I love broccoli cheese soup! This recipe sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing.
This was delicious! I made it for dinner tonight and it was so fast and easy and one of the best broccoli cheese soups I’ve ever had. I LOVE the addition of the swiss cheese. Thanks for sharing!
Looks delicious! Gotta try it!
Looks wonderful!
YUM!!!! I’ve always wanted to find a good recipe for that kind of soup. Trying it asap 🙂
@Sarah,
I remember you! It’s funny how many people I still run into from the Outback family. Jeff even came out to Florida and we met at the beach. Nice to hear from you!
Christy
Looks like a warm-to-your-toes kind of soup! Mmm, gotta love a good, cheesy soup in the wintertime!
-Rachel @ Bakerita.com
Thanks for passing on this recipe — I made it tonight, and will be making it again. Your beautiful photo drew me in.
I used pepper jack because I didn’t have any Swiss and it was ridiculously good. Definitely a keeper!
I tried this recipe and reviewed it here: http://misslyndaj.blogspot.com/2012/01/broccoli-cheese-soup.html
Happy Eating!
Made this last night! It was so easy and came out amazing! One of my new favorite soups to make 🙂
Made this with 1/2 cup smokef cheddar instead of the 1/2 cup of swiss. Came out awesome. Super tasty!
Just finished eating one of these amazing buns, this recipe is great! I will definitely be making them again…and again
I did this a few days ago and it was soooo good. For a French girl like me, those “teaspoons” and “cups” things were a bit difficult but I managed to make a delicious meal. Thanks a lot!
Love this soup! This time, we used some winter bock beer in place of some of the stock. Super yummy!
I cook in a restaurant. I tried this recipe, tripling it. It’s a little dicey making such a large amount of roux, and I don’t think I would try it tripling it on a non-commercial range. Anyway, it came out GREAT. Customers raved, and it was gone in a wink. The swiss cheese makes the recipe, and I would not hesitate to go 50/50 on the 2 cheeses, as long as the cheddar is sharp. I made some pesto crostini (using a couple of day-old baguettes) to serve with it.
Made this tonight for dinner! My husband loves broccoli cheese soup because he had some one time that was really good but has not found one he liked sense. He absolutely loved this recipe! He said make it and freeze it this is good! Thank so much for sharing!
Can I use vegetable stock instead of chicken? Looking for a vegetarian soup.
Of course!
eating it right now and it’s amazing. i used monterey jack cheese cause i didnt have swiss but its still great. taste like it’s made with heavy cream
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! It was very flavourful and the tip on microwaving the broccoli worked perfectly. It was nice making a cream soup that didn’t involve using a “cream of something” soup as the base. Thanks for sharing and the pictures are oh-so-enticing. Thanks!
Barb! So glad you loved it!
Is the Broccoli Cheddar soup freezable?
I think so but I haven’t tried.