One of my favorite ways to use up broccoli is to make creamy broccoli cauliflower cheddar soup. Honestly, it’s really kind of an everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink soup, as in addition to broccoli and cauliflower, you can also toss in carrots, spinach, onion, and celery if you are so inclined. Potatoes would probably work in this soup, too. The point is, this is a perfect handle your CSA veggies kind of soup.
Speaking of CSAs, this week’s share from Valley Flora farm included lettuce, spinach, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, strawberries, dill, fennel, and zucchini. In addition, we bought potatoes, blueberries, plums, kale, marionberries, and green beans from the Farmer’s Market. It’s definitely the season for all sorts of fruits and veggies. The cauliflower, broccoli, onion, and most of the carrots went into this creamy broccoli cauliflower cheddar soup. The lettuce and spinach both were used up in salads, as was the fennel (though I’m infusing some vodka with the fennel fronds – more about that next week). The zucchini and the rest of the carrots went into a mini-muffin – check back later this week for that recipe. Some of the fruit went into sangria, while the rest of it went into both my yogurt in the mornings and into fruit salad for dessert. The potatoes got used up as part of a breakfast bowl and then as mashed potatoes one night. The green beans became a recipe from My Paris Kitchen (check out my Instagram feed for more on that one). The dill – the beautiful wonderful dill – got dehydrated in the oven at 170 degrees for 40 minutes and crumbled up. I’ve already used some on popcorn and am pretty sure the dill is going to show up in a recipe soon with cream cheese and smoked salmon – just saying. The only thing lingering in the fridge right now is the chard. Not bad for a week of significantly increased farm-to-table abundance.
I realize that for many, this is definitely not soup weather. However, here on the southern Oregon coast, creamy broccoli cauliflower cheddar soup is very welcome right now. This is comfort food at its best: a super creamy soup with a minimal amount of fuss. I’ve been eating this all week long for lunch with a side salad of spinach, roasted fennel and walnuts. It would also be absolutely wonderful with a grilled cheese sandwich.
This is a freezer-friendly soup. If you are trying to figure out how to preserve some of the bounty of the summer, you could make up a batch of this and stash it in the freezer for when the weather cools down in the fall. A good sharp cheddar is a must here – I use my favorite local cheese from Face Rock Creamery.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cups of any combination of broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, potato and/or celery, diced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Add the onions and cook until translucent.
- Add the mix of diced vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and milk and bring to a low boil. Stir frequently. Cook for 20 - 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and blend in either a blender or using an immersion blender. Stir in the cheese.
- Serves 4. Enjoy!
