Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheese Soup

June 2020. Summer begins and the pandemic continues and the world is both its ordinary self and something else entirely. The toddlers at the daycare are adapting. Lily has stopped drawing rectangles on faces in her pictures. The people in her drawings have eyes and mouths now. That is progress. Progress is where you find it.

The fellowship officially starts in September, which is also when the fall semester at UAB starts. Until then I am finishing the last summer coursework and working at the daycare and continuing the research remotely. My life has the same structure it has had for two years: work, research, class, Sunday. I have come to trust the structure completely. It is the thing I built when I did not have one given to me. I built the structure. It works.

Made palak paneer this week, which is Indian spinach with cheese. I made the paneer from scratch, which involves curdling whole milk with lemon juice and pressing the curds. It worked perfectly. Then the spinach sauce, cooked with onion and garlic and ginger and spices, the paneer added at the end to warm through. Priya said: you made paneer? I said: from scratch. She said: of course you did. She said it the way she always says it when I do something she finds excessive and entirely in character. I am that person. I will make things from scratch. I will keep doing that.

Palak paneer was the meal of the week, but broccoli cheese soup has been the meal of the whole season — the one I keep coming back to when the structure I’ve built needs feeding too. It has the same logic as the paneer: you start with humble ingredients, you apply heat and patience, and something real comes out the other side. I make it lighter than the classic version because I want to eat two bowls without thinking about it, and I always do. Priya would probably say “of course you did” about that too.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 cups broccoli florets (from about 1 large head)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Build the base. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste. Slowly pour in the broth, whisking as you go to prevent lumps.
Simmer the vegetables. Add the broccoli florets, dry mustard, and smoked paprika. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, until the broccoli is completely tender.
Blend partially. Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup directly in the pot, leaving some chunky texture. Alternatively, transfer half to a blender, blend until smooth, and stir back in.
Add the milk and cheese. Stir in the milk and bring the soup back to a low simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and add the cheddar a small handful at a time, stirring after each addition until fully melted. Do not boil once the cheese is added.
Season and serve. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with an extra pinch of paprika or additional shredded cheddar if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheese Soup — For the Person Who Makes Things From Scratch