Stranger Foods

Broccoli cheese soup

Serves 6 | Prep 30 mins | Cook 30 mins

In the world of cheaty foods, broccoli cheese soup has always seemed like one of the cheatiest. There's nothing wrong with owning it: Cheese is delicious, and not every single lunch has to be virtuous. Still, I sometimes wish that the broccoli part of the whole thing was taken a little more seriously, if only for the purely selfish reason that I love broccoli. My goal here was to create a recipe for broccoli cheese soup that was as comforting as the ultra-cheesy kind you typically find, but simultaneously really tasted like broccoli.

Source: www.seriouseats.com

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

700 g broccoli
2 tbsps vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
45 g unsalted butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
475 ml water, or homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
700 ml whole milk
1 small russet potato, peeled and sliced
340 g sharp cheddar cheese, grated (see note)
240 g deli-style American cheese, diced (see note)
3 g mustard powder
Dash of hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot

Instructions

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Separate broccoli into florets and stems. Cut florets into bite-size pieces and set aside. Roughly chop stems and reserve separately.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli florets and cook, without moving, until charred on the bottom, about . Stir, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until tender and charred on several surfaces, about longer. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
Return Dutch oven to medium heat and add butter, onion, carrot, and broccoli stems. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not browned, about , lowering heat if necessary. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about .
Add water or chicken stock, milk, and potato and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli and potato are completely tender, about .
In a large bowl, toss both cheeses together along with mustard powder. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a countertop blender, blend soup, adding cheese a handful at a time, until completely smooth. Stir in hot sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in reserved broccoli florets and pulse with blender a few more times until a few pieces are broken down, but most bite-size pieces remain. Serve immediately.

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