Saturday, December 6, 2008

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This is a nice creamy soup that I created this week and will be serving at an upcoming Christmas gathering. Let me know if you try it, and what you think!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large leek, split lengthwise and slice, rinse in bath and drain to remove dirt
2 stalks of celery including leaves, sliced
2 tbs flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup shredded swiss
4 oz velveeta
2 cups fresh broccoli - stems removed and freshly steamed
Extra shredded cheese to garnish

In stock pot, melt butter. Sautee garlic, leeks and celery. Stir in flour, coating vegetables and incorporating flour and butter well. Add stock and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Add cheese, and stir until melted and combined. If the heat is too high, it will scald. Add broccoli, stir to combine. Garnish cheese on top. Place lid on stock pot. Keep over low heat for at least 5 minutes or until ready to serve.


**I know there are some out there who just do not like Velveeta. Where as I understand your reasoning, I just like the taste of it. :-) I had thought to experiment with cream cheese as a substitute. I think if you used just Cheddar, it might be too oily. If you have played with the "creamy" element of this or similar soups, please share your experiences!

Don't forget to check in on Tiffany's Soup's On Saturdays for other Soup recipes.


2 comments:

  1. I love cheesy broccoli soup. I've made a few variations of it over the years. NONE of which have included Velveeta. ;-) There are two main ways I've seen to 'cream' things up in this soup. One is to start by making a roux - the basis for gravy too - saute your veggies and add a thickener (flour or cornstarch) prior to adding liquid. The other is to include a couple of potatoes and then blend the soup (by batches in blender or by immersion blender) for creaminess. I don't really have a preference there. I just follow the recipe. Both work great.

    Your recipe is much more detailed and involved than the ones I've made. I like the idea of using swiss in there, though I don't usually have it on hand. I ALWAYS have a brick of parmesan on hand, so I've been known to throw some of that in with the cheddar. However, I've never had an issue with my cheddar broccoli soup getting 'oily' from the cheese.

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  2. your soup sounds delicious, except for the Velveeta ;)


    ~K!

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