Broccoli Cheese Soup with Garlic Croutons
Updated Jul 14, 2021, Published Jan 11, 2020
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Broccoli Cheese Soup is an upscale twist on classic broccoli cheese soup that’s elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party. Torn Garlic Croutons are an easy way to add a crunchy factor to this beautiful, silky-smooth soup. Make it a delicious “soup and sandwich” meal with Chicken Sloppy Joes!
Who doesn’t love a delicious, broccoli cheese soup–either smooth and creamy or still a bit chunky with chopped broccoli? It’s one of my favorites either way!
This version is elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party!
One of the reasons I love pureed soups is because you don’t need any knife skills! You can chop everything as coarsely or as inelegantly as you want and when you puree the soup, any chopping sins you may have committed disappear! Even as a chef where knife skills are super important, it’s nice to be a little lazy sometimes!
How to make Broccoli Cheese Soup with Garlic Croutons:
Here’s all you do!
- Saute onions in butter and olive oil.
- Add a Russet potato and garlic.
- Add chicken or vegetable broth and broccoli.
- Simmer until everything is super tender.
- Add heavy cream and nutty Gruyere cheese.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Puree!
- Roast a little extra broccoli to throw on top! Voila! Broccoli Cheese Soup!
- And a little more roasted broccoli…
That’s it!
Okay, so a little extra cheese never hurts either.
- And then make these lovely, crusty, garlicky croutons!
- Take a stale baguette or two and place on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil and garlic and season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder then bake.
Wait! What? Garlic POWDER???
- I use garlic powder on these Torn Garlic Croutons because fresh garlic can burn very quickly. Check out this article at MyRecipes.com for information on when to use fresh garlic and when to use garlic powder: When to Use Garlic Powder vs. Fresh Garlic.
Lovely, crunchy Torn Garlic Croutons that are still a bit chewy on the inside! And, you can hold them in your hands to dunk into this lovely Broccoli Cheese Soup.
For more creamy soup recipes, try my:
- Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
- Spinach Goat Cheese Bisque with Crispy Lemon Chickpeas
- Pumpkin Soup with Marsala and Mascarpone
- Spicy Indonesian Vegan Carrot Almond Soup
- Creamy White Bean, Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup with Quinoa Parmesan Crisps
- Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Taleggio
- Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup with Curry
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree
- Cream of Green Vegetable Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup with Garlic Croutons
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large Russet potato, peeled and cubed
- 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 bunches broccoli including tender stem, coarsely chopped plus 1 large broccoli crown, separated into florets, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups grated Gruyere or white Cheddar cheese, packed, plus more for topping soup if desired
Croutons
- 1 small sourdough baguette, torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Soup
- Heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.
- Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add the cubed potato and garlic. Saute briefly until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the chicken or vegetable broth and the 2 heads of broccoli with some of the stem. Bring to a boil.
- Cover slightly, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place remaining broccoli florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Roast the broccoli florets for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Add the heavy cream to the soup along with the cheese. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
Croutons
- Place torn bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and crispy on the outside.
- Serve the soup topped with additional cheese if desired, roasted broccoli florets and croutons.
Notes
- Soup can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. Cool and refrigerate.
- Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Place in airtight containers in the quantity desired. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator or the microwave. Reheat on low heat on the stovetop, stirring often until the soup smooths out and comes back together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
We are always looking for new recipes to try as a family. It has helped our kids to expand what they eat being involved in this. We found your recipe and are adding it to next week’s menu to try! YUM
Thanks so much, Cindy! Hope you enjoy!!
Sounds divine! Can’t wait to try it when I visit a friend in Switzerland next week! 😋 And thanks for including the garlic POWDER reasoning – so thorough!!
Hi, Nancy, Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!