One of the most comforting and cozy meals I can think of is Panera’s broccoli cheese soup, served in a bread bowl.
I’ve eaten that meal many times in my life in wintery Denver, letting it warm me through and through.
There is something just so homey about broccoli cheese soup. While it’s been years since I’ve actually ordered it out, I find myself craving it regularly during our long and cold winter months.
I am so happy to report that I finally have a recipe for broccoli cheese soup I love – and it happened by accident!
I had a few cups of steamed broccoli leftover in the fridge. I had steamed it a bit too long so it was on it’s way to a mushy consistency, and my family declared they wouldn’t eat it. I don’t let anything go to waste, so I found myself thinking what I could do with mushy but very healthy and still good steamed broccoli.
My wheels started turning and this soup was born!
It is actually built on a soup we have in the archives here that involves cauliflower and cashews. I knew it would be the perfect base and would easily accept broccoli and cheese as additions.
The result made my belly extremely happy!
This is literally a better broccoli cheese soup because of the nutritional profile of this recipe. We’ve got the digestive benefits of the cruciferous cauliflower. We have plant protein from the cashews. We have green benefits from the broccoli and anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.
The combination might sound crazy but trust me – it turns into a delicious, creamy and cheesy meal that will fill you up and give you energy!
You will never notice the lack of milk or cream, which says a lot.
A couple notes about this recipe:
- You can easily increase or decrease the volume to serve more or fewer people.
- It freezes well.
- I used steamed broccoli because I had it on hand. Because it was fully cooked I put it into the blender at the last minute and it worked perfectly (I didn’t want it to actually cook anymore). If you are using raw broccoli you can simply put it in the pot from the beginning with the cauliflower. Just make sure it cooks to a soft consistency. You can also roast it first and then use it and it would add a delicious roasted flavor to the soup.
- I used Dubliner cheese grated but any cheddar would do.
- Serve with a crusty and buttery piece of sourdough for the full cozy affect!
So grab your soup pot and get ready for some seriously comforting – and healthy – food!
Better Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower, chopped
- 2 cups broccoli (see notes above about steamed vs raw vs roasted)
- 1 cup raw cashews (NOT salted)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 cups vegetable broth (or other broth or stock or water)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a soup pot to medium with olive oil in the bottom
- Add turmeric and stir well for one minute
- Add cauliflower and 1 tsp salt and stir (this is also where you would add raw broccoli if you chose)
- Add cashews
- Cover with broth/water and bring to a boil (make sure your ingredients are covered and then simply add more if you like a more liquidy soup)
- Lower to a simmer and cover and cook for 20 minutes (or until veggies are soft) – (if you are using roasted broccoli I would put them in here with 2 minutes left of cooking time)
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend well on high until soup is smooth (this is where you would add steamed broccoli)
- Pour back into your soup pot and bring to low temperature
- Stir in the cheese until all melted
- Add salt to taste
