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
I made this soup today and it was amazing!
Excellent! Thanks for reporting back and we’re glad you liked it!
Loved this soup! Made it last night!
Terrific! I’m so glad it is finally soup weather! Thanks for the comment.
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!
Is there a way to make some adjustments and make this in a slow cooker?
I’m not much for using a slow cooker, so other people might have better suggestions. My opinion, since the actual cooking time for this is pretty short, I don’t think it would adapt to slow cooking that well. The vegetables need to roast in a hot oven to get the “roasted”, caramelized flavors, and you would have to use a separate pan to saute the onions. At that point, you could put the vegetables in a slow cooker with the broth and cook it for a while before blending it, then add the cheese and cream. If you find a way to make it work – please comment again in case others are interested!
Thank you so much! Since the cook time is short, you are probably right.
Love the recipe and have pinned it. I love the cup and saucer!!! Where did you get it? It’s beautiful.
I have had several questions about the pottery in the photo! They are both from the pottery community in Seagrove, NC (near Asheboro). The cup/mug is from Teague Pottery, and the bowl/saucer is from Hickory Hill pottery. I really lucked up that they were using similar glazes and got a match! Seagrove, NC is a wonderful place to spend the day if you love pottery.
I saw this recipe featured today on the Just Eat Real Food Facebook page and just had to try it. I just made it, and it is SO delicious! I used two kinds of cheeses: Kerrygold Aged Cheddar and Kerrygold Dubliner. It is so cheesy and yummy!!
Thank you, Cheryl! I am obviously a cheese lover…glad you are too!
This soup was awesome. Made it for supper tonight. I made two changes. I used frozen cauliflower/broccoli mix but roasted it just to see if that would work and it turned out beautifully. Second change was that I only used 8 oz. Sharp cheddar instead of 12. It was lucious and rich. My husband loved it too. I shared your link to the recipe on my low carb FB page.
Wow, good to know that this works with the frozen vegetables – that could come in handy! Glad you enjoyed it – thanks for the comment and the share!
Delicious, my family and I loved it. Thanks
So happy that you all enjoyed it – thank you!
I am so happy I found you! This soup is YUM! I have made a version of this soup for years with just steaming the veggies, but roasting them adds a deeper flavor. I am excited to try some of your other recipes as well. My daughter who is in college with gastro issues can eat some of the recipes you have posted…Roasted Figs and Fennel and Cauliflower Puree with Goat Cheese. It is SO hard to find delicious recipes for you.
Thanks you!
I love roasted vegetables and try to cook them that way when I can. So glad you enjoyed the soup, and hope your daughter can enjoy some of the other recipes! Thank you for commenting, Karen!
I made this soup today and added one tin of rinsed lentils along with a carrot and a piece of celery to the onions/garlic pan. This was a great soup!
do you have the calorie count and nutrient break down for your recipe?
We don’t count calories – we just like to know we are eating wholesome ingredients. There are websites with calorie and nutritional content calculators…just google that to find one. Then type in all the ingredients you used and amounts, and it will give you that data! So happy you liked the soup, Trish. Thanks for the comment!
Help! How on earth do you use a hand blender in a pot of hot soup without injuring yourself. I used a very tall pot and it still splattered everywhere.
Yikes! One thing about a hand blender is you have to keep it submerged in the liquid at all times. If you let the blades see a little air, it’s going to sling stuff. I usually start by pulsing it on and off as it move it around the pot to get the large chunks, then tilt the pot to make a “deep end”, then keep the blender going until I get the consistency I want. Hope that makes sense!
Definitely want to give this a try – broccoli cheese soup is my favorite, but all the varieties you can get in a store have added starch that I do not want! Just curious – how much does this recipe make? I’d like to make a big batch to have on hand for weekday lunches, but not sure how much I should multiply the recipe by. Thanks!
Hi Carly! To the best of my recollection, I think this makes about 8 cups of soup. Hope you like it!
Could I replace heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk?
Renee, I have not tried that but I think it should work if you’re trying to cut down on dairy. Note there’s still a lot of cheese there though. Let us know if it works!
How much does this make? One serving? Or how many cups?
Hi Lauren – It’s been a while since I made it so I don’t remember, but looking at the ingredients I would guess it makes 6-8 cups of soup (the base is 3 cups broth, plus cream, plus about a cup of cheese and all the vegetables). You of course can stretch this by adding more broth, for a less dense soup.
Do you think you could do this in a crock pot? Sounds delicious! I love roasting veggies, I roast them when I make salsa
Since the cooking time for this is pretty short, I don’t think it would adapt to slow cooking that well. You still would have to use a separate pan to saute the onions. At that point, you could put the roasted vegetables and sauteed onions in a slow cooker with the broth and cook it for a while before blending it -but it seems like that would just be getting another pot dirty since it would only take 20 minutes on the stove top. Once cooked, however, it would probably “hold” in a crock pot if you need to keep it hot for serving at a later time. (Or if transporting it to a pot luck or tailgating party.)
How many servings does this recipe make
I estimated in the comments above that it makes 6-8 cups of soup, depending on how thick you’d like it. I haven’t made it in a while (probably a good time to make it soon).