Broccoli Cheddar Soup

April. The trees are budding. The grass is greening. The fields are being plowed. And I am sitting in the cab of my truck at a rest stop outside Lincoln, eating leftover barbacoa on tortillas, watching a thunderstorm roll across the plain like a slow-moving wall, dark and electric and beautiful in the way that only Nebraska storms are beautiful: enormous, unavoidable, and completely indifferent to your plans.

I love thunderstorms. I did not used to. When I first started driving, storms terrified me. The wind, the rain, the way an eighteen-wheeler rocks in a crosswind like a boat. But somewhere around year five, the fear turned into respect, and the respect turned into appreciation, and now I watch storms from the cab the way some people watch movies: with attention, with anticipation, with the understanding that I am witnessing something bigger than myself.

At home the garden is prepped and waiting. Dave tilled the soil in the raised bed and mixed in compost from the garden center. Josie has been watering the empty bed every day because she believes this will help, and I do not have the heart to tell her that watering dirt without seeds is just making mud. We will plant in six weeks. The seedlings on the windowsill are leggy and hopeful, reaching for the light the way everything in Nebraska reaches for the light in April.

I made a big pot of broccoli cheddar soup this week. I do not make this often because broccoli is not a vegetable this family embraces with enthusiasm. But I was craving it, and I am the one who cooks, and the cook gets to choose sometimes. Broccoli, onion, chicken broth, simmer until tender, add a roux of butter and flour, add milk and a mountain of shredded cheddar, stir until thick and creamy. Tyler ate it. Amber ate it. Justin said it tasted like trees, which is the most poetic thing Justin has ever said and also a rejection. Josie ate the cheese soup and left the broccoli at the bottom of her bowl. Dave ate two bowls and said it was great, because Dave eats everything I make and says it is great, and I will never stop being grateful for that.

Broccoli cheddar soup is the kind of thing I make for myself, which does not happen often enough—most of what goes on this table is negotiated around the preferences of five other people. But April in Nebraska is muddy and slow and the garden is still weeks away, and sometimes you need something warm and thick and unapologetically yours. The recipe below is exactly what I described up there in the narrative: simple, straightforward, and worth every tree-flavored complaint Justin had to offer.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 large head), chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded (plus more for topping)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Saute the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Simmer the broccoli. Add the chopped broccoli and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the broccoli is very tender.
Make the roux. In a separate medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a pale golden color and smells slightly nutty. This cooks out the raw flour taste.
Build the cream base. Slowly whisk the milk into the roux, a little at a time, keeping the mixture smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens noticeably.
Combine and melt in the cheese. Pour the cream sauce into the broccoli and broth pot. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar a large handful at a time, stirring between additions until each addition is fully melted and the soup is smooth and thick. Stir in the dry mustard and smoked paprika.
Season and serve. Taste and season generously with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with additional shredded cheddar if desired. Serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls.

Nutrition (per serving)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup — The Cook Gets to Choose Sometimes