If you are looking for creative ways to serve up vegetables, then this Broccoli Cheese Soup is your answer! You can have this delicious warm-weather meal ready in about 30 minutes. Don't forget to top it with some crispy bacon to maximize the flavor!
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Please do me a favor though and don’t lie to your reluctant eaters about the veggies in this dish. If you want to wait until after they gobble it up, that is fine, but make it known that the deliciousness in this soup is broccoli (and cheese and bacon of course!). And when cheese and bacon are involved, it’s hard to go wrong. :) Enjoy!
Broccoli Cheese Soup (with bacon!)
If you are looking for creative ways to serve up vegetables, then this Broccoli Cheese Soup is your answer! You can have this delicious warm-weather meal ready in about 30 minutes. Don't forget to top it with some crispy bacon to maximize the flavor!
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Servings: 6 people
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Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces (locally sourced recommended))
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup onion (diced)
- 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1 ¼ pounds broccoli (cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 4 cups chicken broth (homemade recommended)
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (freshly shredded)
- bacon (cooked, optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon pieces until brown and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the olive oil and diced onion and allow it to cook and soften for another minute.
- Turn to medium-low, whisk in the flour, and cook while stirring for 1 to 2 minutes being careful not to let the flour burn.
- Add the broccoli pieces, broth, milk, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Blend until smooth with a hand immersion blender (or by transferring to a countertop blender in batches).
- Stir in the heavy cream and shredded cheese and serve warm. (You can freeze any leftovers.)
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Broccoli Cheese Soup (with bacon!)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 291
Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 58mg19%
Sodium 1013mg44%
Potassium 542mg15%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 1135IU23%
Vitamin C 95.8mg116%
Calcium 251mg25%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Is the soup supposed to be very thin? My husband made it tonight for dinner. It was good but very runny.
Hi Anissa. It should not have been thin. Did he add the flower to the bacon, oil, and onion? ~Amy
Yummy! I used vegetable broth instead of chicken (it was on sale) and eliminated the heavy cream. It’s delicious! I can’t wait to take some for lunch tomorrow.
My daughter loves this soup! Can I substitute something for the heavy cream?
Hi Jen. You could use a full fat milk instead. ~Amy
I am making thanks tonight. But in the future, could this be a crockpot recipe?
Hi Stefanie. I’m sure it can. You can use this to help with cooking instructions: http://www.yummly.com/recipes/broccoli-cheese-soup-crock-pot-cheese-soup. ~Amy
I’m getting ready to make this recipe – but I’m curious how long it takes once you’ve reached the point where you’re bringing it to a boil? Trying to time this plus WW biscuits for dinner tonight!
Hello Devona. Sorry, we are rarely able to answer questions in real time. How was dinner? :)
Hi Kathryn. You can use frozen broccoli. I’ve used both but prefer fresh. ;)
Could you use frozen broccoli and thaw it before making this soup recipe?
I had been craving this soup and even came on here to see if you had the recipe and I must have overlooked it. I was so sad until I got on a real foods facebook page I am a part of and saw someone link to this! I am soooo glad because it is delicious!
Just made this for lunch. It was delicious, I really enjoyed it.
I used Spelt flour as it was what I had, and a store bought stock cube. I don’t understand why people are saying it lacks flavour, I’ll definitely be making it again!
Delicious!
Thank you for this recipe! I just made it for the first time and it came out really well. I’m a fan of thicker soups and this one for me, was a little thin, so next time I will try and make it a bit thicker. But overall I really enjoyed it! I also like how this recipe doesn’t have too many ingredients and it easy for anyone to make. These are the types of recipes I love!! thanks again.
I was hesitant to try this recipe due to some of the negative reviews and I am so glad I tried it anyway! I am not a huge fan of cooked broccoli but am trying to serve more vegetables and less meat to my family. I used canned broth because that is what I had on hand and used milk instead of cream because I didn’t have the cream. I also threw in a couple of carrots with the broccoli because I only had one pound of broccoli. The end result was delicious. It was thick and creamy with a lot of flavor! I plan to make several batches and freeze them. I think it would also be tasty to add some diced cooked potatoes and corn at the end, but it was definitely delicious as is! One thing that I did find is that it needs to be blended really well to have a smooth creamy texture. Don’t hesitate to make this, you won’t be disappointed!
I love this recipe! It was my first attempt at making this flavor of soup, and now it is a goto recipe. I add about a 1/2 cup of thinly sliced carrot and it adds to the flavor…YUM :)
forgot to add, I choose to not use the blender and leave it chunky.
I thought this turned out ok. Unfortunately, my 12 yr old son did not care for it. Used the chicken broth recipe from this site. I can’t stand regular bacon is soups so used Applegate turkey bacon instead and some bacon grease I had in the freezer. I did add some garlic and a bit more salt. Glad I did not make a double batch since I will be the only one eating this. I am sure it will freeze well and will make for a quick tastey lunch.
I have made this twice now and my family loves it! I did use frozen broccoli and it worked fine. I did not thaw first.
If I am using frozen broccoli, should I thaw it first? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer. We have not tried this recipe with frozen broccoli and Lisa suggests fresh raw broccoli. If you do, let us know how it works. ~Amy
My family thought this recipe was great! We also used the broth recipe from this site which gave the soup wonderful flavor. My 10 year old did not like the looks of it, but tried his two bites and thought it was okay. My 18 month and three year kiddos loved it. My husband who prefers a “chunky” soup added his baked potato and thought it was delicious!
Made this tonight using the cock pot chicken broth recipe found on this site. We loved this soup! I felt like you can really taste all of the ingredients and they aren’t just hidden behind a ton of salt and cheese. Thanks, Lisa!
I made this last night and thought it was great!
I read a few comments about flavor, so I did add a pinch of basil and a pinch of thyme, but I think it would have been fine without it.
I like my soup to be soupy, so when I saw the amount of liquid originally called for, I didn’t think there would be enough liquid. I added 2 more cups of broth.
After dishing it up in the bowls, I crumbled some extra bacon and sprinkled some cheese on top. It was very delicious! The leftovers were great for lunch too.
Next time I might add a potato and some carrots to it. Oh, I don’t own an immersion blender and am not fond of moving hot soup to a blender, so we ate ours chunky!
Hi- I just made this for my kids and when I tasted it before adding the cheese or the cream, it was divine!! I will add the rest of the ingredients as I think my kids will love it but for me- you had me at broccoli soup ;-)
I found this recipe to be awesome! It turned out perfectly thick and deliciously flavorful. I think the key is homemade broth (I use your crock pot recipe after making Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot)–store bought just doesn’t measure up. What a great way to eat our veggies in the winter, especially since I’m pregnant and have been reluctant to enjoy any sort of greens!
I made this soup this morning and made the following changes, using what I had on hand and adjusting for a hh of one: No more that 2 C of my own clear ham broth made from the Christmas ham: skipped the bacon (ham broth a good substitute for flavor): added about 1/2 C. shredded carrots: about 1+/-lbs fresh broccoli: 1/4 C. flour: the onions, olive oil: used about 3/4 C. low fat half & half in place of milk and heavy cream; used a good Irish cheddar–3/4 C., about 1/2 C Jarlsberg semi-soft part-skim cheese and no more than 1/4 C. of Reggio Italian cheese. I used the immersion blender towards the end. This is the kind of recipe that once the basic ingredients are known can take on a life of its own, depending on the cook, the household and number in the hh. What I made this morning is the best Broccoli/cheese soup I’ve ever tasted!
I made this recipe for friends when we got together on Saturday night and they loved it. I didn’t have bacon so I left it out and to thicken it, because I like thick soup, I steamed some cauliflower and puréed it and added that to the soup. VERY tasty. It was a hit. Will definitely be adding this to the regulars. Thank you Lisa and group for all you do. :)
I’m surprised by the number of negative comments for this recipe. I just made it & I think it’s delicious! For convenience, I used packaged organic chicken broth, packaged shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese, and frozen organic broccoli from Whole Foods. Also, I substituted 1 cup of half & half for the 1 cup of milk & used 2 cups of the shredded cheese instead of the 1 cup the aforementioned recipe calls for. It turned out rich, creamy and better than Panera’s, in my opinion. What’s more, this is super easy to make. I was able to prepare the soup while keeping my 2 1/2-year-old & 1 1/2-year-old daughters busy.
I highly recommend this recipe to others. I’ve shared it on my Facebook page and e-mailed it to friends & family, as well. It’s a keeper!
We love the soup! We did not add the bacon,but it still had a wonderful flavor. Quick and easy to make, and though it has milk, cream and cheese in it, it is still so much better than canned soup,or box macaroni and cheese. Thanks!
Would love for this to be a bit thicker. I didn’t add bacon, though I’m sure that would have added a nice smoky flavor. It tasted good, but too, too thin. Love many of the other recipes, however. <3
Hi Suzie, sorry to hear this wasn’t a hit for you. Omitting the bacon will definitely change the taste and consistency of this recipe. Hope you can try again with the bacon! – Nicole
I am wondering if the folks who were disappointed used this site’s recipe for the chicken broth? It’s an excellent by-product of cooking the whole chicken in a crock pot recipe, so easy and so delicious. Anyway, used that to make this soup as called for and I think it made the Broccoli Cheddar soup very flavorful. Also used a turkey bacon (this brand was organic, made from thigh meat and no nitrates) instead of regular bacon because it was what we had on hand. However, had we only had regular bacon, 3 slices certainly isn’t a deal breaker for our family : )
Thanks!
Heather
Bummer–this soup was super disappointing. It’s so thin! And I didn’t even add all the milk. And the flavor wasn’t great either. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Sorry to hear it wasn’t a hit for you. You can always try adding some cauliflower to make it thicker. – Nicole
Hi! Thanks for site. My family spent about a month researching and preparing…and we have just cut out processed foods. :) we are excited about the changes and look forward to benefits to our bodies and minds, not to mention teaching my daughter about real, whole foods as she grows.
Question: What about bacon? I see it used here (and loved this recipe…it’s rich…so not too often, though). We can’t find any bacon that is cured without sugar. I can’t find a local source of bacon, so I’m stuck with Whole Foods or conventional grocery stores. Everything at WF used sugar. :( We will go with the nitrite free labels, but were wondering if you had suggestions on a brand without sugar.
Same for Worchesteshire sauce. We love it, but everything at the store has sugar or cane juice. Any recipes for a good homemade substitute?
Hi Lauren. Lisa typically buys her meats, including bacon from local sources. Have you checked http://www.eatwild.com? It might be helpful as you search. As for the Worchesteshire sauce, here is a recipe that sweetens with honey and molasses: http://www.bluekaleroad.com/2012/09/a-worcestershire-sauce-to-love.html but it is not ours. ;) ~Amy
What is the serving size for this recipe, I’m assuming a cup but it isn’t stated
Hi Erika. Yep, about a cup. :) ~Amy
I’m really disappointed in this Broccoli Cheese soup recipe. It is FAR from healthy. True, you are advising organnic ingredients, locally sourced meat, and homemade broth. But do you realize how bad the fat and salt in Bacon is for our hearts. Also too much dairy– milk PLUS heavy cream– also weighing IN on cholesterol. While Olive Oil is a very healthy alternative and normally improves cholesterol, all that goes down the drain if you are “cooking” with this oil. Olive oil is GREAT used in salads or drizzled over cooked food. But Medical websites warn us that olive looses its beneficial effect and becomes “un” healthy for our cholesterol when it is used in cooking. Who do we believe? You? or Medical Science? That being said, it would appear the only HEALTHY aspects of this recipe are the onions, broccoli, and whole wheat flour. So, basically this recipe appeals to our “taste buds” instead of our health…just like all the other yummy bad foods out there. Right? I hope you will prove me wrong because I LOVE your recipe and desperately want to make it! But I don’t want to develop a taste for it if bad for me. (Know what I mean?) Please reply when you have time? By the way I really enjoy your website and natural-organic lifestyle suggestions, Lisa. Thanks a lot!
Hi there, Nancy. Thanks for sharing. 100 Days does not claim to be a “health food” site. This blog is about choosing to eat real food rather than chemical-laden-packaged-food-like products. We do believe that this is a far more healthy way to feed our bodies and that returning to a more traditional way of eating is an altogether better choice. Some recipes may not work for you but there are many to choose from if the ingredients in this particular one don’t fit your criteria. (I’m vegetarian-so this one does not work for me.) Also, there is a great deal of scientific research pointing to a very different set of rules regarding fat types and cholesterol types than has traditionally been taught. I think the jury is out on this one and there is always more to learn. :) Regarding olive oil, it does oxidize at lower temps but Lisa uses olive oil for lower temp cooking, salad dressing, and such. Hope this addresses some of your concerns. ~Amy
I so wished it tasted like Panera or Chilis broccoli cheese soup but it was nowhere near it. :(…..
It was just ok for us. Not as thick or flavorful as I’d hoped
Sorry to hear that. You can always add some cauliflower to make it a bit thicker. – Nicole
I made this for lunch today and it is delicious! I used only the broccoli tops, but I wondered if anyone has used the stalks too? It would be a great way to use something normally composted. I guess I am wondering how the stalks would blend (if they would be stringy). Thanks so much for your site!
Hi Amy. Lisa uses part of the stock but not the bottom extra fibrous part. ~Amy
I made the broccoli soup for dinner last night and my entire family loved it! My son’s reaction was funny. He was already telling me he “wasn’t going to eat it because he doesn’t like it” before trying the soup. After his first taste I could tell he liked it but he had to keep up his game face and pretended he wasn’t sure! He told me, “Mom I think I need another taste.” He finally admitted that he likes it. Thanks for the great recipe and winning over my picky eater.
Oh my goodness! So yummy!! We had it for dinner tonight. I added chives, garlic and cauliflower. It came out perfect. My husband thought it wasn’t heart enough, added some brown rice/quinoa mix to his and he was stuffed! Even my little one had some on her broccoli and loved it!!
Can the heavy cream be substituted with greek yogurt? The recipe sounds wonderful!
Hi Kristin. Not sure. That is not something we have tried. ~Amy
Perfect recipe for a cold night! Thank you!
Made this today and it was delicious! There was enough to freeze for other days too. I used a little spelt flour instead of whole wheat and it worked great.
What happens if I leave out the bacon? My husband recently had a heart attack so bacon is a big no-no. Also, if I sub milk for the heavy cream, what will happen….the soup will be less thick, correct?
Hi Michelle. It would lack the added flavor that the bacon adds but you can certainly omit it. And yes, it would not be as thick as with cream. ~Amy