TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
SERVES: 4
Milk & Dairy
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups milk (2%)
250 g cheddar
Pantry
4 cups broth
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 pinch cayenne
Produce
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 large head broccoli
pre-recipe prep
Dice onion, carrot and broccoli into small chunks
Mince 4 cloves garlic
Shred cheddar - you should get about 2 heaping cups
Make your soup base. In a large pot, warm 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 diced onion with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, you want the onion to start to brown and even get slightly charred. Then add minced garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and add 1 diced carrot, 1 head of diced broccoli and 4 cups broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes until tender with a fork.
Blend your base. Once cooked through, carefully dump soup into blender (or a large bowl if using an immersion blender). Blend until smooth and set aside with the lid off.
Make your cheese sauce. Rinse out your pot and put back over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp butter. Once melted, add 3 tbsp flour and mix well with a whisk. Add 1 tbsp mustard powder, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, pinch of cayenne and salt and pepper. Cook this for about 1 minute - this removes any floury taste and allows the spices to bloom. Slowly add in your milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking well each time to remove any clumps. Once all your milk is added, add your cheese and mix well until melted.
Make the soup. To your cheese sauce, slowly pour in your blended base and mix well. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Top with croutons, flaky salt, olive oil or more cheese and serve.
Bonus: Croutons. Preheat oven to 400. Tear stale bread into 1 inch chunks - you want 2-3 cups worth for the oil ratio here. Pour over 1/4 cup olive oil and mix with your hands to get each piece soaked. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Questions? Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and don’t forget to let me know if you make it!