Broccoli Cheddar soup -Completely Vegetarian

 I'm not a big fan of soups but there are few exceptions. Split pea soup, Broccoli Cheddar soup, Tomato soup are some I would really enjoy. Rest, not so much.  Since the soups in restaurants usually have Chicken stock I try to stay away and  make em at home. These days I started buying the Broccoli cheese soup from Costco as it has no chicken stock and completely vegetarian. More over it's really tasty. But today I decided to make it at home. 

Instead of Chicken stock, I have used Vegetable stock in my recipe. I made it at home. I don't really follow a recipe for that. I have added the available veggies to water and boiled till water reduced. It enhances the taste of the soup. I gave rough recipe below. Alternatively you can use store bought one. 

For the recipe I have used Mild Cheddar cheese as that's the only variety available in 'Sprouts' store when I was shopping. You can also use Sharp cheddar too. 

I used Half n half as the base which is essential in the soup. If you are really counting calories , use milk but honestly I wouldn't skip half n half :-). 

Flour is used in this recipe to thicken the soup but if you are looking for gluten free option Riceflour can be used, available in Indian stores. I have used organic unbleached all purpose flour . 

Other than this the recipe is simple and pretty straightforward. Serve the soup as it is with some crackers or with Garlic bread like I did. 

Servings:

Six (6)

Total time: 

30 minutes 

Ingredients (I use US standard measuring; 1cup=8oz=250ml):

• 4 tbsp Butter
• 3/4 th Cup chopped Onion 
• 1 cup shredded Carrots or 2 Carrots 
• 3 cups Broccoli florets or 1 head Broccoli med size
• 8 oz  Cheddar cheese (I used mild)
• 2 cups Half n half
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground Pepper or adjust
• 2 cups Vegetable stock (Add 3 cups water, available veggies (1 Potato, 1 Carrot, 1/2 Bel pepper, few Beans, few Broccoli florets, few Cauliflower florets etc) to a vessel. Boil for 15 minutes. It should give about 2 cups stock )

Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe

1. Grate carrots, Chop Onions into small pieces and chop Broccoli if using fresh. Grate Cheddar cheese using cheese grater.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a vessel.
3. Add chopped onions and cook till transparent. 
4. Add grated carrots and Broccoli florets. Fry a minute. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Add 2 cups vegetable stock. Add salt to taste and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook till veggies are soft. 
   
6. Blend with Hand blender or in a blender till smooth. This step is necessary if you want thick, creamy textured soup. If you like chunky veggies you can skip blending. Or blend little, not too much. The texture of soup is defined by this step. 
   
7. Pour Soup back in the vessel. Add 2 cups half n half.Take 2 tbsp all purpose flour mixed in water. Mix well so no lumps are there. Add the flour paste to soup. You can use Rice flour instead for gluten free option. Mix and heat till it comes to boil.  Keep stirring. Add cheese and mix well. Stir for few minutes. You will see cheese is melted and soup turns thick. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Turn off the stove and transfer soup to serving bowl. 
   
9. Serve with warm bread /Salad/crackers .
   

Tips: 

• You can use more or less cheese as per your preference.
• You can use Chicken stock if you prefer, in place of Vegetable stock.

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