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Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup cooks up quickly and tastes super delicious. It’s fast enough for a quick lunch or easy dinner with a sandwich and delicious enough to make you lick the bowl clean.

The weather gets cooler and instantly I want a bowl of warm comfort. Next to New England Clam Chowder and French onion soup, broccoli cheese soup is in the top three on my list of fave soups. It’s creamy, cheesy, hearty goodness is total comfort in a bowl.

What is broccoli?

When I was a kid, I hated broccoli. Of course, my parents never roasted it. For some reason, that wasn’t a thing back in the day. So, my option was steamed or frozen. Neither of which really celebrate the flavor that is broccoli. But what is it?

Broccoli is an edible flower. If you’ve been to the grocery and some of them have a purple hue on the florets, that’s the broccoli flowering. If you purchase that head of broccoli, then it might not be as sweet as one without that purple hue. My father always said to purchase broccoli heads with tight, bright green florets. They taste the best.

Broccoli is native to the Mediterranean. Etruscans created it from a cabbage relative which means it’s kin to kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. And since it hails from Italy, the English called it Italian asparagus. Though I’d beg to differ because it looks and taste NOTHING like asparagus.

Who created broccoli cheese soup?

There’s no definitive answer to this question. It’s sort of an amalgamation of events that leads to the creation of not just broccoli cheese soup, but other soups we know today. Like any cream of whatever soup that’s in a can on the market.

Medieval cookbooks have different pureed vegetable soups. So those have been around for centuries. But the creaminess of the soup doesn’t enter the picture until the decadence of recipes modified in the 1900s. This is when creams and butters make many traditional recipes richer and creamier. And with the dairy prices of that era, these recipes are only afforded by the rich.

Some claim that chowders are the start to soups like broccoli cheese soup, but I fail to see the transition. I get the creaminess of the chowder and could be the reason a cream of broccoli is popular. But the cheese? I just don’t see it. Except it’s just an addition that someone made and said, “Hey! This tastes pretty darned good!”

I think the popularity of this soup starts with the introduction of cream of broccoli soup from Campbell’s in the 90s. I had no idea that this soup was so new! It’s surprising because I thought for sure it came out at the same time as the cream of celery and cream of chicken soups. I guess not!

Then there’s the whole Panera broccoli cheese soup. I think this is where most get their broccoli cheese soup experience from. I had the soup before, but not as deliciously epic as their soup. No, this is not a copycat version of their soup. There’s so many out there. It’s just not worth it for me to try and make a copycat version. Just find one of the many out there and make that.

I wanted to make my own version of broccoli cheese soup. And I am so glad I did. Because it’s super delicious, easy, and whips up in no time. Of course, I took the convenience route and used some frozen broccoli. If you don’t want to do this, then your soup might take a different journey than mine.

How do you make easy broccoli cheese soup?

I knew this soup needed a roux. And I knew I wanted to steel a trick from fondue to make sure the cheese melted and wasn’t just blobs of cheese in the broth and cream mixture. I’ve tried to make this soup before with no success. And the more I think about it, that trick is great for making queso, too. That’s a recipe in development.

I started out sautéing the onions in the butter. But on a lower heat than I usually do. Usually I like the onions to get some color, but not in this recipe. When the onions started to become translucent, I add the flour and stirred the combination frequently. I wanted a golden roux for this soup. Not a dark roux like the one for my etouffee.

When the roux had a golden color, I stirred in the broth and cream. Using a whisk, I slowly added the two liquids to the roux to make sure there are no lumps. Lumps are no fun in soups or gravies. I added the spices and let the mixture simmer a little bit until it starts to thicken. That’s when I stirred in the cheese.

But before I stir the cheese into the broth mixture, I tossed it with some cornstarch. I stole this idea from making fondue recently. And I used the same technique when I whipped up some queso for me and the hubs to snack on once.

Why toss the cheese with cornstarch?

It’s a chemical thing. The cornstarch absorbs water and expands. Not only thickening the sauce, but also preventing the proteins in the cheese from creating tangled strands. It also prevents the fats in the cheese from separating. We’ve all been there. Especially if you’re ever reheated macaroni and cheese in the microwave.

Basically, it prevents the cheese from becoming stringy and separated. A win win in any cheese soup or sauce. Hence why people use this technique when making creamy and delicious fondue and queso. One of these days I’ll share the queso recipe with you. For now, just try the fondue.

And don’t forget to try this broccoli cheese soup. I made mine with frozen broccoli, but if you want to use fresh broccoli, try roasting it first. That would add a layer of flavor this soup wouldn’t have. Or simmer it in the broth mixture 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Then stir in the cheese.

Welcome to the fourth annual #FallFlavors! We have 21 bloggers sharing over SIXTY recipes using fall ingredients like squash, apples, maple, pecans, and many more. Follow #FallFlavors to see all the delicious recipes on social media.

Monday #FallFlavor Recipes

Beverages

• Apple Cider Mule from Art of Natural Living
• Caramel Apple Sangria from Our Crafty Cocktails
• Jack Rose Cocktail from Books n’ Cooks

Breads

• Pumpkin Banana Muffins from Hostess At Heart

Salads, Soups, and Sides

• Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Cider Baked Squash from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Loaded Cauliflower Casserole from Blogghetti

Main Dishes

• Black Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Fig Preserves from The Spiffy Cookie
• Maple Bacon Smoked Sausage from Palatable Pastime

Desserts

• Air Fryer Apple Crisp from Devour Dinner
• Air Fryer Apple Pie Egg Rolls from An Affair from the Heart
• Caramel Apple Rice Krispies Treats from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Maple Syrup Pancake Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from Best Cookie Recipes
• Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe from Our Crafty Mom
• Pumpkin Rabdi from Magical Ingredients
• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Jen Around the World

Follow the Favorite Fall Recipes Facebook group and follow the Favorite Fall Flavors Pinterest board for more fall inspiration!