Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli cheese soup is one of my favorite comfort foods! Although, I have to admit it doesn't have a great reputation for being exactly healthy. When I decided to make this for dinner I decided to see if I could change it up a little bit to take it a little closer to the healthy side of things. One of my favorite things about Panera's Broccoli Cheese soup is that they also add carrots to it. Extra veggies definitely bump up it's healthy factor so I took it one step further and added not only carrots but kale as well! 

Most of the recipes I was looking at used crazy amounts of butter, heavy cream, and sometimes velveeta instead of real cheese. There has to be a better way... and don't worry there sure is :) 

Start by dicing about half of an onion. For those who do not enjoy onions and are worried about biting into an onion piece you can dice them up into a little bit smaller pieces but honestly I did not even notice these were in there.

Add the onions to a large pot with 2 Tablespoons of butter. Once the butter starts to melt and the onions start sautéing add in 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour. 

Whisk this together almost constantly, the onions will sauté and the flour will turn into a nice golden brown paste. This will take about 3-4 minutes.

While continuing to whisk the onion/flour mixture pour in 2 cups of milk. I used whole milk instead of cream to help still give a nice creamy consistency; plus that's all I had. Once it is whisked together pour in 2 cups of chicken stock. If you want the soup to be vegetarian just use vegetable stock instead. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until it has reduced and is a bit thicker. 

While the sauce is reducing you can get the veggies ready to go. I used a medium size head of broccoli which ended up being about 2 1/2 cups once I chopped up the florets. I shredded 2 medium carrots, which ended up being about 1 cup. I just grated mine on a cheese grater since I knew I was going to need that for the cheese and if there is any way I can make less dishes I tend to do that. 

I washed and chopped up about 3 leaves of kale which ended up being about 1 cup. 

 After the sauce has simmered add in all the veggies. Stir them into the sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Make sure you stir it every couple minutes. 




 Once the broccoli is tender you can either leave the soup as it is if you like bigger pieces of broccoli or you can puree it a little bit. This can either be done with an immersion blender or pouring the soup into a blender and pureeing it. I used an immersion blender and pureed it just a little bit to cream some of the broccoli but not completely. You can also season it with a little salt and pepper if you like as well. 





I used sharp cheddar cheese and shredded 1 cup. Add this into the soup and stir it in until it is melted. 

A yummy healthier version of Broccoli Cheese Soup!

So to recap the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 an onion diced

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups whole milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup diced kale

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Briefly sauté the onion in 2 Tablespoons of butter. 

Add in 1 more Tablespoon butter and 1/4 cup of flour. Whisk together until it becomes a thick golden brown paste. 

Pour in milk and whisk together until smooth. Add in chicken stock.

Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until reduced and thickened. 

Add in broccoli, carrots, and kale. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until broccoli is tender.

You can season it with a little salt and pepper and puree it slightly if you like.

Add in 1 cup shredded cheese and stir in until melted and serve immediately.