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Hey friends! Sorry it's been a couple days, I've had a bad cold since Sunday and it has completely wiped out all my energy. I did, however work on a big new project this weekend, but I wasn't able to finish it in one day, unfortunately. I'm really excited about it, and I planning to complete it by this weekend so I can share it with you. Today, however, I'm going to share with you a meal I made last night that was SOOO amazingly delicious and simple, I just can't keep it to myself. I wasn't even planning to share it with you, so I didn't take any photos, grr! To be honest, I've been hesitant to share any recipes and I wasn't sure if I wanted to add recipes to my blog, but this soup has changed my mind.
It's finally cold and chilly where I live. I know, I know, I can't complain. I still live in California, but I did have to scrape ice off my window the last couple mornings! Cold weather gets me in the mood for cozy, fat-kid, comfort food Last night I really wanted to make some soup and grilled cheese, something warm and cozy to help with my cold.
I love to cook, and I think I'm fairly good at it, but I usually need inspiration from a recipe or the Food Network to make new meals outside of 'the usual'. Also, I do 90% of my shopping at Trader Joes, which is a fabulous place to shop, however I think because of it I tend to get stuck in a cooking routine.
image borrowed from Google
Ingredients you need:
2 tbs Olive oil
2 medium onions, yellow or white, diced
16 oz broccoli (I used 2 – 8 oz bags of broccoli from Trader Joe's)
5-6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream (1 pint)
2 tsp salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
8 oz extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese (I used Trader Joe's extra extra sharp New York cheddar, it's deliciously crumbly), shredded
toasted crusty bread for serving or dipping
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset), warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté for about another 5 minutes, or until golden brown (and lightly crispy). Add the cream, broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and easily pierced with a fork.
Next, with an immersion blender or a standard blender, blend the soup into a puree. I don't own an immersion blender, so I scooped and poured the soup into a standard blender, pulsed it for 10 seconds, poured it back into the pot, and repeated until nearly completely pureed. I like a few chunks of broccoli in my soup, but you can also puree it completely.
Finally, once the soup is pureed to your liking, add the shredded sharp cheddar and stir until melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the soup immediately with toasted bread. Add a little cheese on top for garnish. There's no such thing as too much cheese!
This recipe serves 6 to 8, depending on how healthy of a serving you're getting :)
I have some left overs for lunch, I'm so excited!
Enjoy!
This sounds great! I’ve had broccoli cheddar soup on my “to-make” list for a while now so thanks for sharing the recipe.
Sounds delicious. You think I could use milk instead of cream to make it a bit more “healthy”? And I personally think you are a great cook.
You know what, I was thinking the EXACT same thing last night after having the last leftovers. I don’t see why it needs heavy cream. I was thinking to add more broccoli and substitute milk for cream, to maintain the same “thick” consistency.