I am thrilled soup season is upon us and I hope it never ends— I’d like to nosh on this Broccoli Cheddar Soup with super cheesy cheese straws year-round, alternate that with some French Onion Soup topped with gruyère toast. Is that asking too much? I think not.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
As kids, Broccoli Cheddar Soup was our favorite!! We’d never make a fuss when it was on the menu, especially because my mom usually served it with a giant piece of garlic bread. #carbsforlife
These days, I’m still all about a garlic bread situation but also VERY into these Puff Pastry Cheese Straws. They’re festive, fun and super easy to make!! Especially because we’re not wasting our time making homemade puff pastry – honestly haven't even considered making my own since culinary school! It's incredibly labor intensive. Instead, we’re snagging some frozen puff pastry from the market and going to town! Its a really great thing that comes in handy for a quick dessert, like a puff pastry apple galette or a breakfast puff pastry quiche.
This soup is majorly delicious. Loaded with the perfect amount of spice, plenty of shredded Cheddar cheese (because almost all great soups have cheese) and broccoli. If you’re in a pinch for time, frozen broccoli florets are absolutely allowed! And let’s not forget that this soup is made from a roux base, so it’s smooth, creamy and you seriously can’t go wrong!!
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the Soup:
- Unsalted Butter
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Shallot
- Carrot
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper freshly cracked
- Flour
- Chicken Broth
- Heavy Cream
- Broccoli Florets
- Cheddar Cheese
For the Cheese Straws:
- Frozen Puff Pastry
- Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Step 1: Melt the butter in a heavy bottom Dutch oven. Add the red pepper flakes, shallots and carrot and sauté until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Add the flour on top and whisk to combine.
Step 3: Add the broth and cream and season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Add the broccoli florets and continue to simmer for 20 minutes until soft. Remove the pot from the heat and add the freshly shredded cheese in batches and stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until either completely smooth or half creamy and half chunky. I prefer to leave some of the broccoli florets in large bites.
Step 6: To make the cheese straws, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it's 10 by 12 inches. Brush the surface of the pastry with the olive oil. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with the cheese and season with salt, and some pepper.
Step 7: Cut the sheet crosswise with a knife 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed.
Step 8: Top with extra shredded cheese and serve with the puff pastry straws.
How to Store Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This can be refrigerated for 4 days in an airtight container. Warm it in a microvewave or stovetop when it is time to eat.
How to Freeze Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This soup does not freeze as well because of the cheese in it. I recommend planning it so you can eat it in a few days.
Tips & Tricks
No time for making your own pastry? Serve with crackers, bread sticks, or a loaf of crusty bakery bread.
FAQs
What kind of cheese should I use in broccoli cheddar soup?
Using a shredded cheddar cheese adds great flavor and melts easily in this soup. You can also use swiss or colby/jack that are also easy to melt.
Why is my soup not smooth and curdling?
Make sure you take the soup off the heat when you add the cheese. If you need to heat it to melt the cheese, only keep it to a low simmer to make sure the cheese does not curdle and break up but rather melts smoothly.
Similar Recipes
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Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Puff Pastry Cheese Straws
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 carrot diced
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 6 ounces freshly shredded cheddar cheese
For the Cheese Straws
- 1 sheet Frozen Puff Pastry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottom Dutch oven. Add the red pepper flakes, shallots and carrot and sauté until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the flour on top and whisk to combine. Add the broth and cream and season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the broccoli florets and continue to simmer for 20 minutes until soft. Remove the pot from the heat and add the freshly shredded cheese in batches and stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until either completely smooth or half creamy and half chunky. I prefer to leave some of the broccoli florets in large bites. Top with extra shredded cheese and serve with the puff pastry straws.
For the Cheese Straws
- To make the cheese straws, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it's 10 by 12 inches. Brush the surface of the pastry with the olive oil. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with the cheese and season with salt, and some pepper.
- Cut the sheet crosswise with a knife 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
This is the only broccoli cheddar soup recipe I have used for years! It’s a staple for my family and Gaby’s recipe is now in my family recipe book. Thanks Gaby!
Fantastic! I made this for dinner and everyone loved it. The cheese straws were phenomenal!
If using frozen broccoli does the recipe change?
Delicious! Next time I will double the recipe for plenty of leftovers.