This soup is really “Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Cheddar and Jack Cheese”, but that title isn’t very catchy. Whatever you call it, it is hearty and delicious, and will warm up your belly on a chilly day.
There’s no flour thickener in this soup! Hand-blending the roasted vegetables in the pan thickened the soup, then cream and cheese were stirred in to finish it up. This makes a great lunch! I like the extra flavor from roasting the vegetables, and the extra kick of heat from crushed red pepper flakes. I used a combination of about 70% broccoli and 30% cauliflower, because that was what I had on hand, but I’m pretty sure any combination would work.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of broccoli and cauliflower florets (combined weight)
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ~1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 10-12 ounces shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese (raw, grass-fed if you can get it)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400F. Place the broccoli and cauliflower in a shallow roasting pan and toss with just enough olive oil to coat the vegetables and the pan. Cover with foil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and roast uncovered for 10-15 minutes longer, shaking the pan a couple of times so the vegetables are more evenly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a heavy sauce pan (large enough for 2 quarts of liquid), heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes; cook for about a minute. Stir in the roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Add the broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Using a hand-held blender, blend the soup until smooth and all the vegetables have been puréed. (If you don’t have a hand-held blender, you could also transfer the soup to a food processor to blend. Then transfer the soup back to the pot. Add “buy a hand-blender
Stir in the cream and continue to cook over low heat until the soup is hot, but not boiling. Stir in the shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve it hot!
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Oh I want a bowl now.
I have been looking for a flour-less broccoli cheese soup forever. I can’t wait to give this a try!!
Oh wow! So delicious! And I have all the ingredients on hand! Pinning this for the weekend!
Jo-Anna
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I made this soup today and it was amazing!
Excellent! Thanks for reporting back and we’re glad you liked it!
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Loved this soup! Made it last night!
Terrific! I’m so glad it is finally soup weather! Thanks for the comment.
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Hi I made ths soup tonight and the cheese kept separating from the broth. The taste was awesome but the texture was so off. Any recommendation?
Hi Christina, sorry you had that problem! Here are some suggestions for keeping the cheese from separating – I hope you can try it again. 1) Turn the heat off before adding the cheese – it should never boil once cheese is added. 2) Make sure you are using full fat-content cheese and cream. 3) Finely grating the cheese may help it melt smoother – be sure to stir constantly as you add it to the soup until it is melted.
Failing those suggestions, adding starch to a cheese sauce helps keep it from curdling/separating (however this will increase the carb content). You could make a bechamel sauce with the cheese and cream using arrowroot starch or potato starch, then stir that into the soup at the end.
Thanks so much for the reply! The taste was awesome, so I will definitely be trying this again with your suggestions! I used bagged shredded cheese – maybe next time I’ll try to use a block of cheese and shred myself. Thanks again!! By the way – love your website!!
I bet that bagged cheese was the problem. I’ve read that some of them have anti-caking agents added (so the cheese doesn’t stick together), and that may have kept it from melting smoothly. We appreciate your comments! Thanks, Christina!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Though I did add chicken to it!
Wow, adding chicken is a great idea to make this even more hearty! That sounds like a soup alternative to the ubiquitous chicken/broccoli/cheese casserole – I’ll have to try that! Thanks for commenting, Jessica, and I’m glad you liked it.
This soup look amazing! Have you had any issues reheating this? I’d love to make it for my work lunches this week (cold snap down under) but I’ve heard bad things about reheating cheese/cream soups in microwaves (no other option at work). Thanks
I have not tried reheating it in a microwave, but I think it would work if you stir it often to keep it from getting hot spots. It’s important not to let it “boil” with the cheese in it, or the cheese will clump up. While not harmful, clumped up cheese isn’t real appealing. Good luck!