Broccoli Cheddar Soup

We've been following Kevin's Closet Cooking blog for some time. He always makes great looking and tasting food, and his blog is very well written.


I've been on a broccoli kick the last few days, so I decided to make Kevin's broccoli and cheddar soup. It went really well with some mini Italian club sandwiches.

I used dried beans instead of a can. I soaked them for about 4 hours, then cooked them until tender, about 40 minutes. If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a regular counter top blender but let the soup cool first or it will explode in the blender.

Makes: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14oz cans vegetable broth (about 5 cups)
• 1 19 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 1 large head broccoli
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used Tillamook), plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• Small handful croutons

1. Cut off the broccoli florets and reserve. Peel the stock with a vegetable peeler and cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve separate from the florets.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook until tender, 5-8 minutes.

3. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add the broth, beans, the broccoli stalks, and half of the broccoli florets.

5. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until broccoli stalks are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

6. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in a blender, however, let the soup cool first or it will explode and you could get burned.

7. Add remaining broccoli and simmer another 5 minutes. Blend again until the soup has thickened but still has small chunks of the florets remaining.

8. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with additional cheese and a few croutons.