Recipe: Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup from The Pioneer Woman (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken broccoli cheddar soup? ›

Charring broccoli florets and simmering the stems builds in layers of broccoli flavor. Adding a potato to the simmering soup provides a natural thickener that helps the cheese emulsify and gives the soup a creamy texture.

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 ...

If you add cheese to your soup when it's too hot or boiling vigorously, it can become overcooked and develop a grainy or curdled texture rather than melting smoothly. To avoid this, reduce the heat to low or medium-low before adding the cheese.

Heat a splash of oil in a pan, then soften the garlic and celery for about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the broccoli and stock. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, then blitz with a handful of mint in a food processor. Season and serve, then crumble over the ricotta and scatter with the reserved mint leaves.

MDP: The key is to add cheese at the very end, with just residual heat -- either after turning off the heat or at the very end. It's a similar technique as with pasta, how you have the burner very low or turned off. If heated too high, you risk clumping and if too low, not melting properly.

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.

Broccoli, milk, cream (milk), water, pasteurized process cheddar cheese (cheddar cheese (milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), water, sodium phosphate, milk fat, salt, apocarotenal for color), modified food starch, contains less than 2% of : onions, butter (cream (milk), salt), soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt, wheat), sea ...

Your soup may become grainy if the cheese or dairy curdles. With a recipe like the one that follow you shouldn't have trouble because the cheese is added as a finishing component, off heat. But to avoid “breaking” the dairy while reheating (or with other dairy-rich soups), take it low and slow.

How do you make broccoli cheddar soup less salty? ›

Add a small amount of fresh herbs to the soup and stir until well combined. Acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, or tomatoes can also help to reduce the saltiness of soup. Add a small amount of acid to the soup and stir until well combined.

Curdling in cream soups, like this cheddar broccoli soup recipe, usually occurs when the milk or cream is added at too high a heat. (Don't worry, it's a common mistake when making soup.)

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

Vinegar is the key ingredient that helps pull nutrients out of the vegetables and into the broth, so don't forget it! The peels and ends of garlic and onions are a great way to add flavor. If you want to build the body of your broth, try adding chopped potatoes or yams (leave the skins on for added nutrients).

Blanching broccoli in a large pot of salt water releases bitter acids from the plant cells and rinses them away, an action that steaming doesn't provide because of the low level of water involved. Additional measures for neutralizing broccoli's bitterness include tossing it with salt and citrus sauce.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

To avoid soggy broccolis try steaming it for 2 minutes and check the texture, if required cook for a minute more but not more than that. After this, you put the boiled broccoli into ice water, the constant shock will make them crispy.

Old-school broccoli and cheese casserole is not bad. But with an update, it can be great. Watery vegetables can expel moisture while cooking, leaving your casserole soupy and unappetizing; but luckily, the fix is easier than you might think: simply swap your fresh for frozen.