Roasted Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Printable)

Creamy roasted broccoli blended with sharp cheddar and aromatic herbs for ultimate comfort.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets (approximately 18 ounces)
02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Dairy

05 - 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 1 cup whole milk
08 - ½ cup heavy cream

→ Broth

09 - 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

→ Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - ½ teaspoon dried basil
12 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - ½ teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
14 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Oil

15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
02 - Toss broccoli florets with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20–25 minutes, until golden and tender, stirring halfway through cooking.
03 - While broccoli roasts, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and carrots for 5–6 minutes, until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
04 - Add roasted broccoli to the pot, reserving a few florets for garnish if desired. Stir in dried thyme, dried basil, and ground nutmeg.
05 - Pour in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
06 - Use an immersion blender to purée soup until smooth, or blend in batches in a countertop blender. Exercise caution when blending hot liquids.
07 - Stir in milk and heavy cream. Gradually add grated cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until fully melted and soup reaches a creamy consistency. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot. Garnish with reserved broccoli florets and additional cheddar cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours simmering it, but the whole thing comes together in under an hour with almost no fuss.
  • Roasting the broccoli brings out a nutty sweetness that makes skeptics actually enjoy eating their greens.
  • The sharp cheddar cuts through the cream with just enough tang to keep it interesting rather than one-note rich.
02 -
  • If you use pre-shredded cheese instead of freshly grating it, the soup gets a strange grainy texture that's almost impossible to fix once it happens.
  • Hot soup and a blender is a risky combination, so if you're using a regular blender, remove the center cap from the lid and cover with a kitchen towel so steam can escape and you don't accidentally blow soup everywhere.
  • Don't skip the roasting step thinking it's extra work, because that's where the magic happens and what makes this taste nothing like standard broccoli cheese soup.
03 -
  • Freshly grate your cheddar just before adding it to the soup so it melts smoothly instead of clumping like sand the way store-shredded cheese tends to do.
  • If you accidentally over-salt it, a sliced potato simmered in the soup will absorb some of the salt, then you remove it before serving.
Return