In 30 minutes or less, this easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Bacon will be warming both hearts and bowls. Serve with toasted baguette dippers; you will be a real hero come dinnertime!
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Bacon
This is an incredibly easy broccoli cheddar soup because everything cooks in one pot, and then gets finished in the blender. Dare I say that it is, in fact… SOUP-er easy? HAHAHA I just can’t stop myself with these jokes, people! Feel free to use that one at the dinner table tonight. If nobody laughs, just know that I would have. It’s ok. Have some more broccoli cheese soup. And don’t worry about the bacon – you won’t need to tend to it or let it splatter wildly about the kitchen while your soup sits on a burner next door. Just throw the bacon in the oven while the soup cooks. It comes out perfectly crisp, is totally hands-off, and clean up is an absolute breeze. EASY!
We also recommend the following implementations in order to save time on this Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup: … ok that introduction sounds way more complicated than it is. Basically what we are saying is this: be lazy here, because this is one of those times in life where laziness pays off. Just buy the pre-cut veggies, a bag of fresh broccoli florets, and a lovely bag of shredded cheese. FYI: Trader Joe’s sells a 14.5 oz pre-chopped mixture of onion, celery, and carrots in their produce section – also known as ‘mirepoix’, which kills 3 birds with 1 stone on this recipe. Follow these lazy-person instructions correctly, and the only veggie-chopping you will have to do are the potatoes. (It’s ok to cheat every once in awhile.) This may be an EASY broccoli cheddar soup recipe… but it tastes heavenly, and nobody will ever know that you half-assed it. In fact, they will think you full-assed it. Let’s get cooking!
BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP WITH BACON- INGREDIENTS:
- 6 strips uncooked bacon
- 14 oz Mirepoix (diced onion, celery, carrots)
- 4-5 cups broccoli florets
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 tbsp butter or ghee
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (or half and half, or unsweetened almond milk)
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (or whole wheat, or gluten-free)
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Baguette slices (toasted), for serving
- Salt & pepper (to taste), for serving
Check out the recipe card below, for step by step instructions of this Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
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Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Bacon
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Prep Time: 5 minutes - Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
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Yield: 4-6 servings
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Pin RecipeDescription
In just 30 minutes, this easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup (with BACON!! Yay!) will be warming both hearts and bowls. Serve with toasted baguette dippers for the ultra soupy cheesy yummy experience that you so deserve.
Ingredients
- 6 bacon strips
- 14 oz. Mirepoix blend (diced onion, celery, carrots)*
- 4-5 cups broccoli florets, chopped with stalks removed*
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 tbsp butter or ghee
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (half and half, or unsweetened almond milk will also work)
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (whole wheat, or gluten-free flour will also work)
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Baguette slices (toasted), for serving
- Salt and pepper (to taste), for serving
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cook bacon in oven for 15-20 minutes. You can also toast your baguette slices at this time if you are using them (just brush tops with oil and toast in top rack for 5-10 minutes). Let both cool; crumble bacon once done. While bacon and baguette slices are in oven, begin on the broccoli cheese soup.
- In a large Dutch Oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add mirepoix and potatoes, sautéing over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add minced garlic, and stir constantly for 30 seconds.
- Add flour, stirring until smooth (1-2 minutes). Stir in all remaining ingredients, EXCEPT cheddar cheese: add in broccoli, vegetable/chicken stock, heavy whipping cream, nutritional yeast, dry mustard, salt, turmeric, and nutmeg.
- Raise heat to high, bring to a boil. Immediately after coming to a boil, reduce heat, and leave at a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside about half of the broccoli chunks (to be reincorporated later). The more broccoli you reserve in this step, the chunkier your soup will be. If you prefer a creamier texture, set aside less broccoli pieces (or none at all).
- Using a ladle and working in batches, add remaining soup mixture from Dutch Oven to a high-powered blender. Remove blender cap from middle of lid, and place a damp towel over the top (to allow steam to escape). Blend on High until smooth.
- Return blended soup back into the dutch oven. Add cheddar cheese, stirring to melt. Add reserved broccoli chunks, then season soup again with salt & pepper to taste. To serve, top with crumbled bacon, any additional cheese you desire, and a side of toasted baguette “dippers.”
Notes
- *Packaged Mirepoix can be found at Trader Joes; it’s sold in a container, all chopped up and ready to go for ya! This is a great timesaver for pretty much ANY soup recipe. Other grocery stores have begun to carry pre-chopped Mirepoix as well, usually in refrigerated section of produce aisle, although it is much harder to find. Kinda hit or miss.
- If you can’t find pre-packaged Mirepoix, you can simply grab a bag of frozen mirepoix at ANY ol’ grocery store, in their frozen veggie section. If using frozen Mirepoix, just add another minute or 2 of sautéing time during Step 2 of the recipe! Easy peasy.
- You can also make your own mirepoix, using 1 medium yellow onion (diced), 2 stalks celery (diced), and 2-3 carrots (peeled and diced).
- *For the broccoli: another great timesaver for this recipe is to just buy a BIG ol’ bag of fresh broccoli florets, and measure out 4 or 5 cups. Then you don’t need to chop a whole head of broccoli, and can just dump everything in all at once!
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