This family-favorite Cheese and Broccoli Soup combines tender vegetables with a creamy cheese base. As soon as the temperature drops I make up a great big batch and fill my freezer with convenient lunches for cold days.
Little Miss requested broccoli soup, it’s weird she has a thing for broccoli at the moment. She doesn’t actually eat it, apart from one time when she eat an entire spear and declared it delicious. But I figure she ate it once and she keeps asking for it so I might stand a better chance of her eating broccoli than any other vegetable.
She does. however eat cheese. Cheese (and mayonnaise) is life to my kids, they would eat it for every meal if I let them. Cheese and broccoli sounded like a combination that Little Miss might at least try.
To be honest I wasn’t expecting much of this dish the first time I made it. I’m not usually a fan of cheese based dishes, a little cheese absolutely but too much and I find it too sickly.
Oh my goodness as soon as this deliciousness touched my lips I was besotted. I could have eaten the whole pan. The cheese isn’t overpowering at all it just adds a delicious dimension of creaminess. The vegetables are cooked to perfection with just enough texture, still full of flavour but also soft enough to work well in a soup.
Ingredients
- Broccoli 4 Heads £3.16
- Carrots 1kg 75p
- Onions 1kg 80p
- Garlic 1 Bulb 24p
- Chicken Stock 22p
- Butter 50p
- Milk £1.07
- Cream £1.05
- Cheese £2.50
- Flour 15p
Total Cost = £10.44
Makes 14 servings = 75p per serving
Food purchased from Aldi, UK Prices updated on 26th September 2023.
How to Make Cheese and Broccoli Soup
Start by mincing the garlic. Separate the closes of garlic and remove the papery skins. Finely chop the peeled garlic or push them through a garlic press if you have one.
And dicing the onions. Peel the onions then chop them.
Dice the carrots.
And chop the broccoli.
Throw the vegetables in a good sized pan and fry them in plenty of butter.
Add the stock cubes. I used homemade chicken stock, just because I had some handy. If you wanted to make this recipe vegetarian you could use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
Add the full carton of cream.
And about two pints of milk.
Top with a very generous sprinkling of flour.
Bring the mixture to the boil stirring frequently.
Once the veg is tender but not soft turn off the heat.
Grate about 500g of cheddar and stir it into the soup.
How to Freeze Cheese and Broccoli Soup
Portion your cooked Cheese and Broccoli Soup into freezer tubs.
These are the freezer tubs I use for most of my batch cook meals. They are a little better quality than some of the cheaper ones I’ve tried. I generally get about 5 years worth of use out of them.
Label the lids with a permanent marker. I’ve tried a few different ones but nothing beats the Sharpie brand markers. The marks easily wash away with a little pressure and a wet cloth.
Place the lids loosely on your tubs and leave them too cool.
Once your Cheese and Broccoli Soup has cooled down completely put the tubs into your fridge. Once they are chilled pop them in your freezer to freeze.
How to Defrost Cheese and Broccoli Soup
For best results (as they say) take your tub of Cheese and Broccoli Soup out of the freezer a day or two before you plan to eat it.
I like to plan my meals a few days in advance and choose from the defrosted soups on the day. That way there’s still some room for spontaneity.
But don’t worry if you forget, you can defrost your Cheese and Broccoli Soup in the microwave. Just pop it on defrost for about 10 minutes.
In a real pinch you could cook this Cheese and Broccoli Soup from frozen. Ease the frozen mixture out of the freezer tub and into a pan. Gently heat it on the hob until it’s piping hot. You will need to stir it pretty much constantly which is difficult with a solid frozen block. You’ll usually end up having to break it up in order to stop it burning.
How to Serve Cheese and Broccoli Soup
I usually serve this Cheese and Broccoli Soup with a hot crusty roll. I buy the part bakes rolls from the supermarket and cook them in the air fryer for 7 minutes. They are lovely smothered in butter!
A cheaper option is to have it with sliced bread and butter.
It also works great on it’s own from a flask for a little winter warmer on a cold day. Fill your flask with boiling water and close the lid. Leave it to heat up while you heat your Cheese and Broccoli Soup on the hob. Use the hob instead of the microwave because it will get the Cheese and Broccoli Soup hotter. Pour away the boiling water and carefully fill your flask with your hot soup.
Here’s Some More Soup Recipes
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If the soup is too thick you can water it down with milk before re-heating but I really enjoy it thick enough to stand a spoon in!
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Pin this Cheese and Broccoli Soup recipe to your Pinterest board so you can find it when you need a hot and tasty lunch recipe.
A Little Bit About Me . . .
Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie, mum to two small humans, full time homemaker and full time craftaholic – which totally explains why I’m always short on time!
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Heart and Hearth Crafts 