It’s becoming that wonderful time of the year again, where I crave the warm deliciousness of Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup that’s simmered to perfection and layered with pure flavors of Cauliflower, broccoli, onions, celery, carrots, chicken stock, cream, butter, and the perfect cheesy goodness we all love in our warm belly-filling bowls of Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup.
It’s also back to school for the kids, and moms everywhere are looking for the perfect lunch and dinner meals to serve on those slightly cooler days coming our way. Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup hits the spot in every way with its thick, creamy base of cheese, butter, broth, cream, and fresh herbs. The Cauliflower and broccoli are cooked to perfection, not too soft, not too crisp, but just right to please the family’s palette.
Everyone has their favorite comfort foods, and this Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup seems to hit the spot for everyone that eats it. I find that it’s not many crazy, odd spices that make the best Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup. It’s all the layers of flavor and the method used to cook the Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup. Honestly, a pinch of fresh herbs will go a long way when making this excellent warm, inviting soup; however, the kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorns are the star seasonings in this recipe.
The ingredients listed below for the Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup will yield approximately 8-9 decent soup bowls. I always like to make a double batch and place it in the freezer or refrigerate to serve for lunch or dinner another day. If you plan on chilling your Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup, it will last about four days without any worry. If you are not going to consume the soup within four days, I will freeze the extra soup.
Ingredients needed for Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup
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1/2 of a cup of roughly sliced carrots
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1/2 of a cup of roughly sliced celery
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One medium onion roughly chopped
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Four cloves of garlic
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One tablespoon of olive oil
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One tablespoon of unsalted butter
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2 quarts of chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
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The juice of 1 lemon
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1/4 of a cup of fresh chopped parsley
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Two teaspoons of basil
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Kosher salt to own taste
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fresh ground black peppercorns to own taste
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One head of cauliflower cut into small bite-sized pieces
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One head of broccoli chopped into small bite-sized pieces
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One stick of unsalted butter for the roux
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1/3 cup of all-purpose flour for the roux
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2 cups warm whole milk
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1 and 1/2 cups of warm half and half cream
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One cup of Monterey jack cheese
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One cup of sharp cheddar cheese
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Large croutons to serve
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Cheese, to serve
Tips for the recipe
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Fresh organic or locally grown veggies are the best ingredients to use in this recipe. Still, in a pinch, you can use organic frozen vegetables and cut the cooking time not to overcook the vegetables.
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Use quality olive oil in the recipe, not vegetable oil or corn oil in place of it.
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Unsalted butter allows you to season and salt without the worry of oversalting the soup.
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Use fresh parsley only as dried parsley has no flavor after being dried.
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Whole milk works best in the recipe, but 2% will be ok to use if need be.
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Don’t skip out on the half and half cream as it really makes or breaks the taste.
Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup carrots roughly sliced
- ½ cup celery roughly sliced
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 quarts Chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 lemon Juice of
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons basil
- Kosher salt to own taste
- ground black peppercorns to own taste
- 1 head Cauliflower chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 crown Broccoli chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 stick Unsalted butter for the roux
- â…“ cup All-purpose flour for the roux
- 2 cups Whole milk warmed
- 1 ½ cups half and half cream warmed
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Croutons to serve
- 1 cup cheese to serve
Instructions
- Place roughly sliced carrots in a food processor and pulse till finely chopped. Repeat with celery and onions. I like doing mine separately due to the different textures of the veggies. You can do them all at once if desired.
- Place a dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, heat the olive oil and butter till the butter melts. Careful not to brown the butter. Add the veggies to the dutch oven and cook veggies till they are soft.
- Once the veggies become softened about 6-7 minutes, add 2 quarts of chicken stock, juice of 1 lemon, fresh parsley, 2 teaspoons of basil, kosher salt, and freshly ground peppercorns to own taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized pieces, keep them separate from one another because I have noticed the cauliflower seems to take a little extra time to cook in the soup.
- Once done chopping the cauliflower and broccoli, add only the cauliflower to the dutch oven, cook for about 4 minutes before adding the broccoli, then cook for about 10 minutes, or veggies are fork-tender but still somewhat slightly firm.
- Next, slowly add the warm milk and warm half and half cream, stir well cut the heat to low-medium heat. At this time you may want to adjust the seasonings to your own taste, be sure to taste before doing so.
- In a metal skillet over medium heat add 1 stick of unsalted butter and let it melt before adding the all-purpose flour. Once the butter melts add the flour and continuously stir the flour and butter, do not let it brown you are only cooking it long enough to cook out the flour taste about 2-3 minutes should do the trick.
- Once the roux is done slowly start adding to the Dutch oven, stirring constantly till completely dissolved, cook for about another 5 minutes before removing from the heat.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe suggestions:
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a deliciously beautiful combination of all-white meat chicken, non-GMO wild rice blend, celery, onions, carrots, chicken broth, half and half cream, crème fraîche, and wonderful herbs and spices to warm your tummy this winter.
- Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup is guaranteed to soothe your soul and fill your belly with warmth this fall; combining homemade Italian Sausage meatballs, a rich tomato, and vegetable soup base fresh Italian-style vegetables, Italian herbs, and topped with Romano cheese.
- Leek & Potato Soup– leek Agus prátaà anraith; is such an excellent traditional Irish food and the perfect luncheon item to roll out in celebration of the beloved St. Patrick combining fresh leeks with potatoes, shallots, Traditional Irish Style boiling bacon, heavy cream, and perfectly seasoned in a simple, timeless manner.
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I’m not sure what I like more – the cauliflower or the Monterey Jack. This was the best broccoli soup ever! Can’t wait to make again and again!
Ha Ha- you remind me of someone I know (ME!!!) thanks for the giggle. Have a great day.