Broccoli Potato Cheddar Cheese Soup
This is Rockin Broccoli Potato Cheddar Cheese Soup. The soup is hearty and flavorful and pretty too
This is Rockin Broccoli Potato Cheddar Cheese Soup. The soup is hearty and flavorful and pretty too
- 0.25 cup flour
- 2 large idaho baking potatoes washed, peeded
- 7 tbsp butter or margarine (divided)
- 1.5 tsp salt (divided)
- 1 10-oz box frozen broccoli chopped
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups milk (i used 2 cups, and the soup was very thick. you can start with 2 cups and adjust to the thickness you like at the end. the degree to which the potatoes are mashed affects the thickness of the soup)
- Carbohydrate 23.10847375 g
- Cholesterol 96.01375 mg
- Fat 32.238455 g
- Fiber 2.4541875462234 g
- Protein 20.05346875 g
- Saturated Fat 20.364369625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (234g)
- Sodium 497.00175 mg
- Sugar 20.6542862037766 g
- Trans Fat 1.908478375 g
- Calories 456 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash and peel 2 Idaho baking potatoes.
- Cut them into 3/8-inch cubes, and let them sit in water until you are ready to use them.
- When ready, pour off water, and blot the potatoes dry with paper towels.
- Melt 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) of butter or margarine in a deep skillet over low heat.
- Turn the heat up a bit, and add the potato cubes.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspooon salt over the potatoes, and immediately cover them with a lid.
- Let them cook for about 20 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally, until completely done.
- While your potato cubes are cooking, prepare your chopped broccoli and your cheese sauce.
- Place a 10 oz. box of chopped broccoli into a medium saucepan that has about an inch of rapidly boiling water.
- Let it cook until tender, but still bright green, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- As soon as the broccoli is done, pour it through a colander to remove water.
- Meanwhile, prepare your cheese sauce.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine in a saucepan.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, and 2 to 3 cups milk.
- Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and return to cooktop.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes.
- When the potato cubes are tender, remove them from the cooktop to a workspace where you can assemble your soup.
- If there is excess fat in the bottom of the skillet of potatoes, use a paper towel to absorb and remove the excess fat.
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes a bit, making sure to leave plenty of lumps of potato.
- Add your cooked chopped broccoli and your prepared cheese sauce.
- Stir all together, until well combined.
- Pour into a soup tureen and cover until ready to serve.
- Serve while hot, transferring ladles-ful to soup bowls.
Adding flour, milk, and cheese all at once to a hot pan invites graininess, yet many cooks commit this exact procedural error when building cheese-based soups. Controlling starch gelatinization requires melting three tablespoons of butter, removing the pan from the heat entirely before whisking in a quarter cup of flour, and only then reintroducing liquid gradually to prevent lumps from forming in the base. Starch molecules swell when heated in liquid, creating the viscosity necessary to suspend heavy ingredients without breaking down into a paste.
Texture Mechanics and Dairy Stability
Idaho baking potatoes possess high starch content, making them ideal for adding natural body through physical mashing rather than relying solely on roux. Cubing those tubers to three-eighths of an inch ensures they cook evenly in twenty minutes when covered tightly, trapping steam to soften the interior while allowing intentional light browning on the edges for extra depth. Sharp cheddar contributes both fat and protein that emulsify with the milk, but excessive heat will cause the proteins to tighten and squeeze out oil, leaving a greasy film across the surface.
- If the soup becomes too thick after adding the initial two cups of milk, whisk in the third cup incrementally until reaching a pourable consistency.
- Submerge freshly peeled potatoes in cold water immediately after cutting to wash away excess surface starches that might otherwise make the cubes gummy during pan-frying.
- Drain the ten ounces of boiled broccoli thoroughly in a colander before combining it with the potato and cheese mixture to avoid diluting the dairy sauce with trapped water.
