Broccoli Cheddar Soup (no Cream)

If you're looking for a delicious, vegetable rich, creamy soup without cream then try this broccoli cheddar soup! It is full of vegetables and has a rich, creamy texture despite having no cream and a wonderfully robust flavour thanks to the cheddar cheese. This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader!

Now that broccoli is a reasonable price again it's time to make this incredible broccoli cheddar soup. Panera is a bread café chain in America and their broccoli cheddar soup is one of their most popular soups. Their version probably uses half and half (a half milk half cream product) and you certainly can if you want to get that exact texture but here we use evaporated milk to get that creaminess. And trust me, it tastes incredible with this and you do not need cream!

Tips for Making Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 - Use the tops of the broccoli for this soup. I actually love the bottom of broccoli and steam it separately to snack on but I have a weird love for broccoli.

2 - This broccoli and cheddar soup recipe is quick and takes around 30 minutes! Cut the broccoli florets into small pieces so that it is easier to eat and also takes less time to cook.

3 - I used a regular cheddar and a red Leicester cheese and they were both delicious in this!

4 - A lot of recipes use cream or half and half. We are using evaporated milk which makes this a bit healthier.

5 - I use a finely diced potato to help give the soup more body

6 - Make sure to grate the cheddar cheese so that it melts into the soup.

7 - I like to make a big batch of this soup to eat for lunch for the whole week. It reheats really well. It also freezes perfectly too!

I love that this soup kept for a week and froze well because the last few weeks before we went to Hawaii were so incredibly busy and we even ate it for dinner one night as well . While our holiday in Hawaii was amazing Dear Reader, I have to come clean with you. I made a HUGE mistake when we planned our 2.5 week holiday.

At first I was supposed to be working the first week on the Food and Wine Festival but during my discussions with Hawaii tourism that got pulled back to 3 days rather than a week as events sold out quickly. When Mr NQN and I both arrived in Oahu on Friday I worked the 3 days and then on Sunday night I told him that it was my last official day working on the festival and that we would have our own itinerary for the next 2 weeks.

"Hang on WHAT? I'm working," he said confused. "I'm working this first week because you're working on the food festival," he explained.

The colour drained from my face.

I had actually forgotten to tell him that the first week working was reduced down to 3 days so he assumed the first week started on the Monday. So there I was for the first week holidaying it up by myself while Mr NQN did endless zoom calls from our hotel room. I suppose it could be worse than working from paradise - that week he would wake up at 9am Hawaii time and then surf or go for a walk with me and then at noon Hawaii time he would start work as it was 9am Sydney time. He finished work at 8pm Hawaii time which is very late to eat - some nights I was so hungry (I eat at 6pm) that I would drag him out of the room and to the restaurant. And I got to know Waikiki very well, walking the main three streets for 5 days straight eating shave ice, poke, going for walks and shopping by myself!

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever had crossed wires planning something? Do you like solo travelling or do you prefer to travel with someone? Have you ever tried broccoli cheddar soup?

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 white or brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 potato (around 200g/7ozs), peeled and very finely diced
• 4 cups/1 litre/2.1pints chicken stock
• 400g/14ozs. broccoli florets only, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 400ml/14ozs evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons plain all purpose flour
• 200g/7ozs. cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Step 1 - Heat butter in a large pot on medium heat and add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the potato, stock and broccoli and simmer until tender, around 20 minutes (depending on how small you've cut the broccoli florets). Add the grated carrot in halfway through.

Step 2 -Whisk the evaporated milk with flour and add to the pot and stir and allow the soup to thicken. Then add the grated cheese and Dijon and season to taste and serve with warm bread.