Recipe: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I teased you all last week with the broccoli cheddar picture and promised a post with the recipe, so I'm here to deliver.

If you don't already know, broccoli cheddar soup is probably my all-time favorite soup in the history of ever. I've ordered it since I was a kid going out to dinner with my parents, and I'll order it almost every time I go to Panera.

So, when I saw this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats, claiming to be the best, I knew I had to try it.

What You Need:

-3 cups of small, chopped broccoli florets (About 2 1/2 heads at the store)

-8 oz freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

-1 large shallot, chopped

-1 large carrot chopped (I used the bag of grated carrot and eye balled it--much easier)

-3 Tbsp butter

-3 Tbsp all purpose flour

-3 Cups chicken broth

-2 cups of milk (I used 1%)

-salt and pepper

What You Do:

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the carrots and chopped shallot along with some salt and pepper. Saute until carrots are tender (3-5 minutes).

2. Add in the flour and use a whisk to combine it for about a minute. Slowly add in the chicken broth while whisking to avoid the flour clumping and to make smooth. Slowly add in the milk and stir. Season with more salt and pepper and turn the heat up to medium-high to get it to a simmer.  Once simmering, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring periodically throughout.

3. Add the broccoli florets and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring periodically, until the broccoli is tender (make sure your broccoli pieces are fairly small).

4. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese into the pot in batches (at least 3 smaller batches). This allows the cheese to melt evenly and not get clumpy. You can mash the broccoli with a potato masher if you want that consistency. Ours turned out really nice and did not need it (which worked out well because I couldn't find our potato masher). Add salt and pepper if needed, to taste.

5. We ate this for dinner with a side of toast which was delicious to dip in, and then had the leftovers for lunch the following day with croutons which was also insanely good!

You can add a little extra cheese on top for "garnish" if you want, too.

This made 4 servings for us. It was so tasty I will definitely be making this again and again throughout the winter months!