Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I was cleaning out my freezer the other day and I had a giant bag of frozen broccoli. I wasn’t really in the mood for roasted veggies, just craving something different. Looking in the fridge, I realized we had shredded cheddar cheese of course, the classic Broccoli Cheddar Soup immediately came to mind.

Now sure, this soup is great a cold winter day and well, it has been a bit chilly here lately in Chicago. But since Shavuot starts in just a couple days, this is a great time for this soup to shine. Hello CHEESE!

Childhood Classic

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, we kept kosher in the house. but at that time, we were still eating out at non-kosher restaurants. My dad would take my younger sister Avi and me to Panera Bread on occasion and our order of choice was the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Sometimes with the bread bowl. I mean, it’s a great idea in theory, but really, it’s just too much. I have no idea how we would devour the soup AND the bread bowl. Growing kids, I guess, HA!

How fun is it to recreate classic restaurant dishes at home? The food don’t always turn out exactly as we remember, but the moment I tasted this soup, I was instantly brought back to my childhood. Sitting at the booth at Panera with my sister and my dad, eating this soup just reminds me of home. Pure nostalgia. I guess that’s the whole idea of comfort food!

This soup does the trick. Not only is it homey and comforting, but it’s ridiculously easy, with only a handful of ingredients. Oh and it reheats well – perfect for a yom tov meal.

I hope you get as much joy eating this as I did. 🙂 Happy Shavuot!

Don’t forget to check out our other Shavuot recipes here!

0 from 0 votes
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Course: Soup
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 4 cups Broccoli florets Use frozen to make it SO much easier!
  • 3 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tbsp. Butter, or ghee
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, melt the butter or ghee on medium heat and cook the garlic for about 1 minute

  2. Add the broth, broccoli, heavy cream, salt and pepper and bring to a boil

  3. Simmer the soup covered for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender

  4. Reduce the heat to low and blend the soup with an immersion/stick blender. If you want to keep chunks of broccoli, you can either use a slotted spoon to take some out, or just blend until most of it is pureed

  5. Turn off the heat and add in the cheddar cheese about 1/2 cup at a time and immediately blend using your immersion blender. If you saved some broccoli for texture, return it to the soup and stir. This is a trick I learned from reading other bloggers and reading cookbooks for this post - blending the cheddar cheese into the soup helps not only to thicken but it prevents the cheese from getting clumpy in the soup

  6. Serve hot with extra cheddar cheese sprinkled on top (and I added a crazy of fresh pepper to garnish too). Bread bowl optional. 🙂

Super Bowl Snacks: Cheddar Stuffed Jalapeno Hush Puppies

Melted Cheddar

Hush PuppiesI was trying to come up with a great bite for the Super Bowl and  I toyed with the idea of doing a stuffed pretzel,  I was all ready to make pretzels using lye, but decided I needed something a little more approachable.  I wanted something quick to make and easy to eat. I rummaged through my fridge and pantry and came up with hush puppies, or fried cornbread balls. There is one thing you do need to be careful about on this, make sure your oil is not too hot. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the hush puppies will burn before the inside cooks and the cheese melts.  I know I have been leaning on cheddar and jalapeno lately, but for the Super Bowl it seemed appropriate.

5 from 1 vote
Hush Puppies
Cheddar Stuffed Jalapeno Hush Puppies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

A great snack with some southern influence.  These are excellent finger food for your next party. Just make sure to fry these over low heat so the inside cooks and the cheese melts before the outside burns.

Course: Snack
Cuisine: Southern, Tex-Mex
Servings: 12 pieces
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Yellow Corn Meal
  • 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Jalapeno Seeded and Chopped Finely
  • 1 Large Egg Beaten
  • 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
  • Vegetable Oil For deep frying
  • 8 oz Cheddar Cheese Cut into 1/4" dice
Instructions
  1. Take the cheese out of the fridge to start warming it up.  If it is too cold it will not melt before the hush puppies finish cooking.

  2. Combine the corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt and jalapenos in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.

  3. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and buttermilk.

  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and and stir until the batter just comes together.  It should be the texture of wet sand.  If it looks a bit dry, add some more buttermilk, and if it looks too wet, add some more cornmeal.

  5. Fill a heavy pot or dutch oven 3/4 of the way up the side with vegetable oil and place over low heat. 

  6. Form balls with the using about a tablespoon of batter, placing a cube of cheese in the middle, and fry until golden.

For something sweet (and a little healthy) check out Rachel’s Super Bowl treat: Healthy Superbowl Snack & Almond Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies