Recipe: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Mustard Croutons

UPDATED 6 Oct 2019: We’re still making this soup six years later! I play crouton master and F usually makes the soup. He’s taken to using the pressure cooker to speed up the process – I’ve updated the steps below. And we’ve discovered that it really matters what kind of potatoes you use: go for less starchy ones that break down easily so your soup turns out silky but not slimy. This recipe easily scales up or down and we don’t usually measure the soup ingredients very closely. I would, however, recommend doubling the crouton recipe, as you may find them highly addicting!

Original post, Feb 2013: Winter is a good time for soups, no matter how cold it actually is where you live. It’s certainly damp and gray enough here in London to make a nice warm soup hit the spot. F sent me the recipe for this soup last week, so I suggested we make it on the weekend. Make it we did, roughly doubling the recipe because we had lots of broccoli and no time to cook again until Wednesday. The soup turned out well, though F thought it was a bit starchy and suggested roughly mashing the potatoes next time before blending them. Or we could just use one less potato. That said, it’s a silky-smooth soup with great flavor from the broccoli and mustard. Don’t skip the croutons — they totally make the dish!

• One Year Ago: Soy-Poached Chicken
• Two Years Ago: PCVs, Unite!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Mustard Croutons (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

• Croutons:
  • ~3 cups (6oz) of white or whole wheat baguette, cut into chunks
  • 2 tbsp salted butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp whole grain or dijon mustard
  • to taste: sea salt
• Soup:
  • olive oil
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 3-5 medium-sized potatoes, cubed
  • 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3-5 cups water or vegetable stock
  • 2 small-medium heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
  • 1-1.5 cups cheddar cheese, grated
  • Optional: 2-3 tbsp whole grain or dijon mustard

Procedure

• Make croutons: Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Mix the liquids with the mustard in a bowl, then add the bread cubes and mix until the bread is coated. Spread the bread on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake 10-15′ or until slightly browned, stirring occasionally.
• Make soup (use a normal large pot, or a pressure cooker to speed up the process)
  • Saute the onion in olive oil until it begins to soften.
  • Add the potatoes then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften (5-7′). Add the garlic and water, then bring to a boil. If using a pressure cooker, seal and cook on high pressure for ~10 minutes.
  • When the potatoes are nearly cooked, add the broccoli and continue simmering (or pressure-cooking) until everything is soft enough to blend.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and add half the cheese and mustard (if using). Blend partway with an immersion blender, then add the rest of the cheese and mustard and blend until smooth.
• Serve bowls of soup with croutons on top and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper.

Enjoy!