Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Is broccoli cheddar soup good or bad for you? ›

Is broccoli soup good for you? Most of the time, broccoli cheese soup isn't the healthiest option since it has lots of cheese and heavy cream. This version is lightened up with evaporated skim milk and less cheese. It also uses extra vegetables that are blended to create some of the creaminess in the soup.

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

The temperature you cook Broccoli Cheese Soup at is key to making sure it doesn't end up grainy or curdled. Medium heat is best for dairy-based soups so it doesn't boil and curdle.

Broccoli soup can offer several health benefits, as it is made from a vegetable known for its nutritional value. Some of the potential health benefits of broccoli soup include: Nutrient-rich: Broccoli is a great source of essential nutrients, including vitamins C and K, folate, fiber, and various minerals.

If heated too high, you risk clumping and if too low, not melting properly. With soup, you might be able to fix it with an immersion blender, or you might not. At a temperature of 150 or so, the protein bonds in the cheese break down and as a result, too much fo the moisture escapes too quickly.

Add other vegetables: Incorporate other mild or sweeter vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, or sweet potatoes to balance out the broccoli's taste. Cream or dairy: Adding a splash of cream, milk, or non-dairy alternatives like coconut milk or almond milk can help mellow the flavor of the soup.

TROUBLESHOOTING: WHY IS MY BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP GRAINY OR CURDLED? This can happen if the temperature gets too high. Basically the proteins in the cheese tighten up and squeeze out the fat. You end up with a grainy, curdled consistency.

Avoid too high of heat when using dairy (milk or cream) because the soup can curdle and separate. Try not to take it to the boiling point. Sometimes an acidic ingredient, like wine, can prevent the soup from curdling. Slowly add the cream or milk and continually stir after adding.

Why does shredded cheese not melt? ›

Pre-shredded cheese contains ingredients like potato starch and natamycin to keep the shreds from clumping together in the bag. That means that sometimes, pre-shredded cheese won't melt as easily as it would if you grated a cheese block yourself!

Finally, it's possible that you didn't use enough fat. Soup needs some fat to smooth out the texture and help the ingredients bind together. If your soup is too lean, it will taste grainy.

Broccoli also can be the culprit behind a slew of stomach-related symptoms. Not only does the veggie — or more specifically, the intestinal bacteria that breaks the fibrous content down — cause gas, but that gas can actually be painful, too. Because the gas expands the intestines, its lining and walls become stretched.

According to the USDA, food that has been left out of the fridge for more than two hours should be thrown away. That's because between 40° F and 140° F (what the USDA calls the "Danger Zone"), bacteria grows incredibly fast and can make you sick.

The Unhealthiest Panera Soup: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Besides its 11 grams of saturated fat, this soup is suffused with sodium. In a 1-cup serving, expect 46% of the daily recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams. "Diets high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure," says Michelle Rauch, MS, RDN.

Broccoli cheddar soup calories may vary depending on what was added to it. Most of them will fall between 175 calories to 450 calories per serving/bowl. Our healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe has about 197 calories per serving.

A serving of broccoli and cheddar soup contains approximately 260 calories, 11 grams of fat and 21 grams of protein. It also contains several important vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, iron and calcium.

Milk, Chicken Stock (Chicken Base [Chicken Meat Including Chicken Juices, Salt, Chicken Fat, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Natural Flavor, Potato Flour, Carrot Powder, Turmeric]), Water, Broccoli, Pasteurized Process Cheddar Cheese (Cheddar Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Whey, Whey Protein ...