It’s cheeseception. I wanted to try that cheesy beer bread in some grilled ham & cheese sandwiches… and I needed some soup for the side, right? Why not up the cheese level with my old broccoli cheese soup or my potato soup? I thought the fiber from the broccoli may be beneficial. 😆

I altered the recipe a bit.

I probably should have stuck with a traditional tomato soup to combat the absolute decadent richness, but this soup was pretty damn good. I want to try to make a roasted butternut squash soup eventually too… but not sure that would pair well with this sandwich?

I did spice-up my original broccoli cheese soup recipe. This could be a full meal, or a side to a nice turkey or roast beef sandwich. Recipe down below. That’s what I did this time. I’ll probably make it slightly different next time. Everyone does that, right?

As far as the sandwich, I just cooked some lunchmeat ham for a few seconds on the panini grill, sliced up the cheesy bear bread, buttered the outsides with softened butter, and stacked it with some individually wrapped cheese slices… cooked on high on the countertop grill to sear & melt it all at once. I should have gotten a side view, but I was hungry.

🥦🧀🥣 Roasted Broccoli Cheddar Soup | The Recipe

This is like my last recipe, but slightly altered.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or whatever kind you like)
• 1 cup of flour
• ½ cup of shredded carrots
• ¼ cup of diced celery
• ½ Spanish onion
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. ground mustard
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. salt-free table blend seasoning
• ¼ tsp. white pepper
• Salt, black pepper, & dried parsley to taste
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 32 oz. box of chicken stock
• 32 oz. box of vegetable broth
• 12 oz. bottle or can of beer (I used Yuengling Traditional Lager.)
• 2 tsp. Ham Broth Base (I used Orrinton Farms)
• 3 bundles of fresh broccoli (chopped up into spoon-sized pieces)
• ¼ cup of bacon pieces
• 10 oz. block of extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
• 10 oz. block of white cheddar cheese (grated)
• ½ cup of parmesan cheese
• 16 oz. block of Velveeta (cut onto small chunks)
• 2 cup bag of shredded “mac & cheese blend” cheese

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°, & do all your chopping/shredding/measuring.
2. Toss about ⅔ of the broccoli, & a bit of carrots & bacon pieces in a bowl with salt, pepper, & oil to coat. Roast on a sheet pan for about 20 minutes.
3. While that is going, melt butter on medium heat in the bottom of your stock pot, add celery, carrots, onions, garlic, & sauté for a bit.
4. Mix all the spices with the flour, add to pot to make a roux and let it get a nice color brown.
5. Add the beer slowly to the roux, then the boxes of stock, then the buttermilk.
6. Add remaining ⅓ of broccoli & bacon pieces, bring to a boil, simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. The roasted broccoli should be done, hold it until you have 5 min. left of simmering.
8. Turn heat to low, stir in all that cheese. (I mixed it all into a bowl 1st)

Notes:

• This was a different soup when roasting vs the last time. I could honestly go for either again.
• I used whatever seasonings at every step as they struck me in addition to the measured amounts.
• I did pop in a squirt of yellow mustard, too. Mustard is botanically related to broccoli, & acts as an emulsifier.
• Fresh real bacon would be incredible here, maybe more of it… or even bits of cubed ham.
• You could skip the beer & do 1½ cups of water with the ham bullion or Better Than Bouillon. I like to use Straub Amber to cook too.
• I wonder if a red bell pepper would be good in this too?
• This makes a large pot, so hope you like leftovers.
• My apologies to vegans, the lactose-intolerant, and the dairy-allergic.

🥦🧀🥣

OK, so how would you make your broccoli cheddar soup? Can I call this broccoli cheddar when it also includes other kinds of cheese? What are your thoughts on the roasting? Would you try this? Do you have a broccoli cheese soup go-to recipe? How about any tips & tricks?