Potato Broccoli Cheddar soup is the only soup that my family can agree upon as an all-around favorite. The addition of potatoes makes it heartier and better (in my opinion) than regular broccoli cheddar soup because there is more substance. I also love it because my kids are eating broccoli – sure there is a plethora of cheese involved, but I will take the wins as they come!
This soup moves from the “occasional” soup recipe stack to the “essential” stack as soon as the crisp autumn air shows. It is hearty and satisfying and dunking crusty dinner rolls in the soup really makes a nice dinner. Leftovers are wonderful for lunch the next day when you need a mid-day warm up.
I gave my daughter this recipe when she moved out and got her own place. She has a Crockpot as well and she is excited that she can put the ingredients in the Crockpot, let it cook while she is at work, and come home to a meal ready to eat. I am so proud of her that she has figured out little things that make a huge difference!
Ingredients
1 cup of broccoli – chopped
1 medium potato (washed well) – peeled or unpeeled – Yukon Gold are the best.
½ cup sharp cheddar cheese
5 cups chicken broth
1 celery stalk
1 onion
3 garlic cloves – pressed or finely minced
4 sprigs of thyme
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ cup heavy cream
Directions
Chop the broccoli, potato, and celery stick into bite-sized pieces.
Slice the onion thinly and use a garlic press to garlic and set aside.
In the Crockpot, pour the chicken stock, salt, heavy cream, onion, broccoli, potato, chopped celery, chopped garlic, thyme, and the salt and pepper.
Turn Crockpot to high and cook for three hours.
After three hours, put the cheese in the Crockpot and mix it in.
Soup is ready to serve immediately.
Notes
• Prepare Vegetables the Night Before: Cut the vegetables and place in Ziploc bags. When you go to assemble everything in the Crockpot, you will save a lot of time!
• Fresh vs. Frozen Broccoli: I prefer fresh broccoli with short stems. There is an added crunch with fresh that is not noticeable with frozen broccoli.
• What to Serve with the Soup: Grilled cheese sandwiches, crusty bread or rolls, a simple salad
• Storing Soup: Let soup cool completely, transfer to airtight containers, and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
• Freezing Soup: Broccoli potato cheese soup won’t freeze well because of the dairy. If making in advance, store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Substitutions
Cheese: If you don’t have cheddar, use a good melting cheese such as Gruyère cheese. A little blue cheese would also work well.
Broccoli: You could also use cauliflower instead of broccoli or use both!
Chicken Broth: Vegetable broth is great but try to use low sodium.
Heavy Cream: The cream is what gives the soup the lovely creaminess. If you do substitute, use whole milk. If you go with a lower fat milk, the soup will be too watery.