broccoli cheese soup recipe!

even though the weather is getting warm, we love this soup because it's so fresh and healthy (no cream) and we can use broccoli and spinach straight from our vegetable garden! you could even cut back on the cheese a bit if you're watching your diet.

it's especially delicious served with a rustic bread and a little cheddar cheese on top. 

enjoy!

Ingredients

2 T unsalted butter

2 pounds fresh broccoli 

1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press

1 1/2 t dry mustard powder

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of salt

3-4 C water

1/4 t baking soda (reduces cook time to get out broccoli flavor faster)

2 C low-sodium vegetable broth (we love making our own)

2 ounces baby spinach

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)

1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine, plus extra for serving

Directions:

Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently until fragrant (5-10 minutes). Add 1 cup of water and baking soda. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes.

Add broth and 2 cups of water and increase heat to medium-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer half of soup to blender, add cheddar and Parmesan, and process until smooth, about 1 minute.Transfer soup to a medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Return soup to the Dutch oven, and place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Adjust consistency of the soup with up to 1 cup of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*this is our variation of a broccoli cheese soup from america's test kitchen 

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ps. not only do brian and i love cooking together, but we just launched a new website too! we're designing and developing websites, blogs and ecourse websites! we'd be delighted if you spread the word! and feel free to check out our new website right here!

i also designed a little button for our new business too! feel free to grab it from the sidebar and add it to your blog! thank you so much for all of your continued kindness and support!