Loaded with all the veggies this delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy, filling and oh so comforting. Chunks of hearty potatoes, flavorful carrots, tender broccoli and creamy cheese sauce make this a year round favorite dish for our family.
Perfect for serving as an appetizer, lunch or for dinner this soup is thick, creamy and full of rich flavor! Pair Broccoli Cheddar Soup with baked potatoes, fresh salad, or grilled hot sandwiches for a well rounded family friendly quick weeknight dinner option.
In fact, I love making this soup for dinner and then enjoying it the rest of the week for reheated lunches. Recipes like Broccoli Cheddar Soup make my life so much easier when I don't have to prepare lunches everyday.
If you are looking for other easy lunch recipes some of my favorite, easy prepare ahead lunches are Southwest Chicken Caviar Wraps, simple Freezer Burritos, Mexican Street Corn Salad Dip.
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Ingredients for Broccoli Cheddar Soup
With just a handful of fresh or frozen vegetables and a few pantry staples quickly and easily get a warm, comforting meal on the table everyone is sure to love!
You really can't go wrong with a classic flavor combo like broccoli and cheese! And when it only takes 30 minutes to prepare this stovetop meal. is great for hot summer days when tying to keep the house cool .
- Frozen Broccoli Florets - using frozen broccoli helps it from disintegrating and cooking down too much while simmering. If you are like me and like chunks of broccoli in your soup, frozen is definitely the way to go.
- Cauliflower Florets - can also be frozen if desired. We like to hide the cauliflower so kids don't notice it. So we use fresh to help it "disappear" into the cheesy goodness more.
- Chopped Carrots - Choose your desired veggie thickness on this one. You can even use shredded carrots if not wanting to have big bites of carrots throughout your Broccoli Cheddar soup.
- Cubed Potatoes - Potatoes will cook down while simmering so choose your piece size accordingly. You can peel or leave the skins on your potatoes depending on your preference.
- Chopped Onion - Onion will cook down while simmering but if wanting to be extra certain it is hidden from picky eaters, grate before adding to the pot.
- Chopped Celery - Choose your desired veggie thickness on this one.
- Bouillon Paste - Our favorite brand of bouillon is Better than Bouillon. You can use a chicken or vegetable base.
- Cream of Chicken Soup - If looking for a vegetarian option you could substitute this for Cream of Celery Soup
- Velveeta Cheese - We use original flavor but you can customize your Broccoli Cheddar soup using the Mexican or Queso Blanco flavored options.
- Water
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Prep Vegetables
First, prepare all vegetables by washing, chopping and dicing everything. Vegetables should be chopped to just larger than bite size pieces. They will cook down a little when simmering.
Add all vegetables, bouillon paste and water to the stock pot for cooking. But be sure to leave cream of chicken soup and Velvetta out until later to be added to the Broccoli Cheddar soup at the end just before serving.
Cook Soup
Secondly, set pot on medium-low heat and allow it to come to a boil. Once at a boil, turn down the heat and allow to simmer till potatoes are tender to the bite.
Add Last Ingredients
Finally, add canned cream of chicken soup and cubed Velvetta to the stock pot and stir till fully melted and incorporated. Serve Broccoli Cheddar soup while hot and enjoy with favorite crackers or bread.
Make it Your Own
If desired you can easily make this soup your own by adding any variation of other vegetables you would like. Suggestions we might try ourselves in the future are:
- Sweetened Corn
- Chopped Bell Peppers
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Frozen Peas
- Zucchini or Yellow Squash
How to Serve Broccoli Cheddar Soup
While completely delicious as this soup is all on it is own, there are sooo many add ins that can take this Broccoli Cheddar Soup over the top!
Consider adding one, two, or three to your next bowl for a delicious and filling meal.
- Handful of crispy bacon
- Sprinkle of chopped scallions
- Topped with an oyster cracker, crouton or crushed saltine
- Served in a warm sourdough bread bowl or with our yummy soft dinner rolls
How to Get Vegetables Prepped Quick
This recipe does take some prep work with the peeling, chopping and dicing up of all the veggies but we promise it will be worth it in the end. And if you have a veggie chopper it goes quicker than you think!
Any time I have a recipe with more than one chopped or diced ingredient I am going to have to prepare I love to pull out my handy dandy chopper.
Seriously, this Dashley's Kitchen favorite gadget is a must have. It makes recipe prep so much easier and quicker.
Storage
Trust me when I tell you, because this soup is so tasty -- you are going to want to save any and all soup leftovers! In the fridge Broccoli Cheddar soup can be saved in an airtight container for up to 4-6 days.
If wanting to freeze leftovers this recipe is a great option for that. You will want to be sure that before adding to a freezer safe container or storage bag your soup is completely cooled.
Once added to a freezer safe container Broccoli Cheddar Soup can be stored in the freezer for 4-6 months. When ready to enjoy soup remove from freezer and put in fridge to thaw over night. Reheat and enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Broccoli Cheddar Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 12 ounces frozen broccoli
- 12 ounces cauliflower florets
- 2 cups potatoes cubed
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 4 teaspoons bullion paste
- 4 cups hot water
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 8 ounces velvetta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables by peeling potatoes and chopping into bite sized pieces. Chop carrots, onion and celery. Add all chopped vegetables to a pot.
- Add frozen broccoli and cauliflower to the pot with other vegetables.
- Combine water and bullion paste in a large cup till paste is dissolved completely. Add the prepared broth to the pot.
- Allow pot to come to a boil, when boiling reduce heat to medium-low. Place a lid on the pot and allow it to simmer for roughly 30 minutes.
- Once potatoes are tender to the bite add cans of soup and cubed Velvetta to the pot.
- Stir soup gently until everything is melted and broth comes together. Serve hot and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Frozen broccoli works best as it keeps the broccoli from cooking down too much.
- You can leave the skins of the potatoes on or choose to remove them. We prefer to remove the skins before adding them to the pot to cook but it's up to you.
- Vegetables should be chopped to just larger than bite size pieces. They will cook down a little when simmering.
L Caslin says
All I could taste was the nasty canned cream of chicken soup. Next time I make it I'll add milk or cream and maybe sour cream. I really loved Dashley's potato soup but not this one
Sammy says
This was a total crowd pleaser. My husband did not believe me when I told him how many veggies went into this dish. And the kids loved it! Thanks so much for sharing. We really love all your recipes 🙂
Theresa says
I made this last night. My picky 2 year old ate two helpings! My five year old kept saying, yum!" Thank you Dashley's!