We’ve reached the end of 5-Ingredient Soup Week here at Gimme Some Oven. And let me tell you, it has been delicious!
In case you missed it, we ladled up some black bean soup, potato soup, easy chili, and tomato soup, all made of course with just 5 tasty ingredients each. But today we conclude the series with a creamy and healthier take on a classic — 5-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup.
I have to admit that I only recently developed a taste for this classic, having avoided it for years due to copious amounts of Velveeta and a not-so-fondness for broccoli. But this recipe is happily processed-cheese-free (just use regular cheddar!). And I’m slowly coming around on learning to like those little trees in my soup. I also included one of my healthier tricks for making the soup creamy, so read below to learn the magic five ingredients for this recipe!
Ok, ok, actually the ingredients for this 5-ingredient broccoli cheese soup are pretty straightforward. You need:
- broccoli (fresh or frozen)
- a small onion
- evaporated milk (my favorite healthier alternative to heavy cream)
- chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make this vegetarian)
- cheddar cheese (I recommend using sharp for more flavor. Also, some brands of pre-shredded cheddar cheese melt more easily than others. To play it safe, I actually recommend buying a block of cheddar and shredding it yourself. But I do find that Kraft’s shredded cheddar melts well consistently.)
Annnnd, I must also request that you use a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Depending on the kind of cheddar cheese that you use, this soup may need more/less salt. And if you really want to go beyond 5 ingredients, I also recommend adding in some Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning to the mix. But the soup also tastes great just with the straightforward 5 ingredients.
Anyway, the 5-ingredient version of this recipe really couldn’t be easier. You literally toss all five ingredients together in a saucepan…
…and slowly bring them to a simmer (not a boil), and cook until the onions are soft. Then this delicious soup is ready to go in no time.
I was amazed at how those five simple ingredients really do provide plenty of flavor. I will note that the soup is a little on the thin side. So if you want to thicken it, you are welcome to create a roux beforehand by heating 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour together in the saucepan, and stirring them for a minute until the flour is cooked and slightly golden. Then whisk in the chicken stock, and then add in the remaining ingredients and follow the recipe as indicated. If you prefer a pureed broccoli cheese soup instead of chunky, feel free to blend it using an immersion or traditional blender.
Other than that, this recipe is pretty straightforward. And if I do say so myself, it’s delicious!!
Thanks for tuning in for a week of so many soup recipes. We’ll move onto another culinary topic next week, I promise!
***UPDATE: Directions have been edited since the initial posting. A number of readers were having problems with the soup curdling. I re-tested the recipe a handful of times, and never had my cheese curdle. But this updated method should be more foolproof, just stirring the cheese in at the very end off the heat.
How To Cut Broccoli | 1-Minute Video
5-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
- 1 small white onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 (15 oz.) can evaporated milk
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (**see note below**)
- plus a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper
- (optional: a few generous pinches of Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning)
Instructions
- Stir together stock, diced onion and broccoli in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Stir in the evaporated milk and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until the mixture returns to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.
- Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm.
- **As I said above, some brands of shredded cheese melt more easily than others. To play it safe, I recommend buying a block of cheddar and shredding it yourself just before adding in the cheese. But I used Kraft brand for this recipe, and it melted perfectly!**
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!Be sure to check out my other 5-ingredient soup recipes too!
5-Ingredient Black Bean Soup Recipe
5-Ingredient Tomato Soup Recipe
We are having this tonight. It sounds wonderful. Thanks for your hard work.
This is so easy and so delicious. I live in Louisiana and like things kicked up a notch, so I added a little cayenne powder. Yum!
Hi, I just made this – it didn’t turn out well – but I was able to save it. (I don’t blame the recipe or the author, since I made some edits and didn’t know about keeping the heat low.)
Here’s what I did:
Sauteed some chopped onion, grated carrots and chopped mushrooms in garlic oil. Added the vegetable broth. Added 1 can of low-fat evaporated milk (which turned out to be 12 oz, so I added a bit of soy milk) Then I added two types of shredded cheddar cheese and then the broccoli and set on a low boil.
Here’s what happened:
It started to smell a bit sour, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what curdling meant. But then I saw the cheese become kind of chunky and the milky broth was a weird color so I knew something was wrong.
Here’s How I fixed it:
I saw online some sites said to whisk in some lemon juice. That didn’t help.
So I started over.
I made a roux – I don’t know the measurements, I just know how to make it – melted butter, add flour gradually, once that’s mixed in and getting thick, add milk, gradually. It’ll get thick then thin out. I added a good amount of milk until I had a sauce, then I slowly added cheese. All the time the heat was on 2 on my burner.
Then I spooned out the veggies from my other pot with a little broth and blended them up. I added that bit by bit to my cheese sauce, whisking it along. Then I had a relatively creamy broccoli cheese soup.
I quickly boiled some extra carrots and broccoli in veg broth, drained them, then poured them into the soup and let it sit a bit on low heat.
Turned out delish.
One trick for fixing a curdled cheese sauce (for it is heartbreaking when a cheese sauce breaks) is to use an immersion blender and blend it smooth. I broke a mac and cheese sauce by getting it too hot and saved it with my stick blender. It won’t be prefect, but it can be the difference in edible and not.
I saw the comments about the cheese curdling. Try slowly heating the stock and evap milk and/or roux. Then add the cheese and allow it to melt on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, add the other ingredients to your cheese sauce. That will keep the cheese from curdling and create a smoother texture. To be fair, Ali did warn not to let it get to hot to avoid curdling. Hope yours turns out delicious!
I made two batches at the same time. Made them exactly alike–homemade veggie stock, onion, broccoli, evaporated milk and kraft shredded cheese. One pot curdled and one pot was perfect. Go figure!
Absolutely delicious! Added cheese after the 15 minute simmer and whisked it in until it was melted-no curdling here!
Made this tonight! In previous comments, I see people had troubles with the cheese curdling. I suggest using the new shredded cheese by Velveeta (called “Velveeta Shreds”). It melted perfectly, and the soup turned out great! Thanks for this quick and easy recipe!
The cheese curdled and the soup was super thin. Almost impossible to get it warm enough to soften the broccoli and onions without curdling the cheese. Wouldn’t recommend.
Amazing recipe :D we had this tonight was very yummy! Will definitely make it again. WE didn’t put the cheese in until the end though, melted quickly and was so yummy!
The recipe seemed to be coming together and then it curled. Not sure what I did wrong. Unfortunate because it smelled great :(