Broccoli Cheese Soup
This recipe comes from an old church cookbook, and it’s is a simple, solid recipe; it’s also pretty adaptable as long as you keep most of the basic proportions right. That said, I’ve learned a thing or two making this soup over the years. First, while low fat milk and light cheese may be kind to your waistline, it doesn’t make a good cream-based soup. If you do choose to make this with skim milk, be advised that the soup will separate when you try to reheat it next day, and it will not recombine satisfactorily, no matter how much stirring, coaxing, or crying you do. Secondly, it’s best to use a sharp to extra-sharp cheese in this recipe- bigger cheese flavor means that you can get away with using less cheese in the soup, which will probably save you more calories in the long run. That said, if you really like cheese (and you’re not worried about the calories), go ahead and feel free to add more cheese if you really want to- the 1/4 cup of cheese is more of a starting point (I usually put in about a 1/2 cup, because I can).
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 big ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 medium to large onion, chopped
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth or stock
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (preferably white pepper)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese, such as a sharp cheddar or Swiss
Method:
In a large saucepan, place broccoli, celery, onion, and broth. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a bowl, combine milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and thyme; stir to combine. Add to vegetable mixture and cook until soup is slightly thickened and begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and evenly incorporated into soup.