This broccoli cheddar soup is creamy, rich and full of cheese. It is gooey when you dip your spoon in and even if you are not a broccoli lover, you are going to love the taste of it covered in cheese. There is no other way to eat a piece of broccoli in my opinion! Check out what our friends over at Well Plated by Erin have to say about this recipe:
“The flavor of this soup is a dead-ringer for Panera’s broccoli cheese soup, and although its texture is a bit thinner than I’d originally envisioned (a result of skipping that fussy cheese sauce base), I still found it to be plenty cheesy and satisfying.”
Guys! This is just like Panera’s. And there is nothing more amazing than that, so this has got to be a winner of a soup!
Ingredients
5 cups chopped broccoli florets (about 16 ounces)
1 cup grated carrots (you can grate yourself or use bagged, pre-cut julienne carrots)
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ounces reduced fat Philadelphia cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/2 cups Swanson reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 (12-ounce) can Carnation 2% evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) block Kraft sharp cheddar cheese, grated*
Instructions
Place the broccoli, carrots, onion, and garlic in the bottom of 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Top with the cream cheese, oregano, nutmeg, and chicken broth. Stir to evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the broccoli is tender.
Remove the lid and stir in the evaporated milk. With an immersion blender, puree about 3/4 of the soup, so that it is mostly smooth but still has a few chunks of broccoli remaining. Alternatively, you can puree the soup in 1 cup-sized batches in a food processor or blender. (Be careful—it’s hot and prone to splatter!)
Recover the soup and let cook on low for 10 minutes until warmed through. Stir the salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as desired. Recover and cook on high until the cheese is fully melted and the soup is hot, about 5 additional minutes. Serve warm.
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Quick Tip: Do not use fat-free cream cheese as it changes the texture completely.
Thanks again to Well Plated by Erin for this amazing recipe.