Crispy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

What’s the method for preparing the most broccoli-rich, cheese-laden broccoli cheese soup?

Photo By Rocky Luten. Prop Stylist: Amanda Widis. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.

Eliminate the extensive ingredient list and utilize broccoli and cheese in many applications. This indicates the exclusion of ingredients such as carrot, celery, potato, garlic, flour, cornstarch, vegetable or chicken stock, milk, cream, half-and-half, spicy sauce, paprika, mustard, cayenne, and nutmeg. Numerous broccoli florets, distinctive cheddar cheese, and yellow onion. Here is the strategy: You will purée blanched broccoli, including the fibrous stalks, while simultaneously roasting additional broccoli in the oven for a crispy garnish. Similarly, grated cheddar serves a dual purpose: producing a creamy, smooth soup and transforming broccoli florets into crisp-edged delights. The cheesy roasted broccoli constitutes a standalone meal that may be served independently, accompanied with warm bread and a tangy salad, to create a complete evening. The third and last ingredient, sautéed onions, enhances the flavor and provides substance. Due to their incorporation in the blender, they fulfill a similar culinary function as vegetable stock: enhancing, elevating, and complementing the broccoli and cheese.

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds yellow onions (about 2 medium plus 1 large), diced

• Neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed)

• 2 pounds broccoli (about 2 large or 4 medium heads)

• Kosher salt

• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add a generous amount of oil to a stockpot positioned over medium heat. Incorporate the onions along with a generous amount of salt. Cook, tossing intermittently and reducing the heat as necessary, until the pieces are tender, transparent, and starting to brown, approximately 12 minutes.

2. Simultaneously, remove the tough exteriors of the broccoli stems. Cut all the stalks into bite-sized pieces and place them in a basin. Cut the remaining portion into bite-sized florets; incorporate half into the bowl and transfer the other half to a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Once the onions are prepared, incorporate 6 cups of water into the pot, along with a few pinches of salt. Elevate the temperature to achieve boiling of the water.

4. As the water heats, liberally coat the broccoli florets on the sheet pan with oil and season with salt. Mix with your hands, then distribute the broccoli as widely as possible. Roast for approximately 15 minutes, until the undersides are thoroughly browned and the stalks are soft when pierced with a knife.

5. Upon reaching a boil, incorporate the broccoli stalks and florets into the onion water. Boil until the water attains a golden tone and the broccoli stems are tender when pierced with a fork, approximately 8 minutes.

6. Utilize a slotted spoon or spider to移 move the onions and broccoli from the stockpot to a blender. Mix until homogeneous. Incorporate everything but 1 cup of shredded cheddar into the blender. Recombine once more. Incorporate 2 cups of vegetable stock from the stockpot and purée once more. Retain approximately 2 cups of stock; incorporate additional stock into the blender if a thinner consistency is desired; otherwise, transfer the remaining stock to a container for refrigeration or freezing for future use.

7. Transfer the puréed soup into the vacant stockpot. If necessary, maintain on low heat to keep warm.

8. Upon completion of roasting the broccoli, extract the sheet pan from the oven. Elevate the oven temperature to 475°F. Disperse the remaining 1 cup of grated cheese over the roasted broccoli florets. Reinsert into the oven and roast until the cheese is lacy and a rich golden brown, approximately 5 minutes (rotate the sheet pan if necessary for uniform cooking). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes to get a mild crispness.

9. Distribute the soup into four dishes and uniformly allocate the crispy-cheesy broccoli florets onto each.