Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

black bowl filled with broccoli cheese soup topped with crispy bacon and chives.

5 from 1 vote

Broccoli Cheese Soup is the most comforting soup. It's rich, creamy, cheesy and loaded with vegetables and bacon. Flavor of bacon is present in every bites and crispy bacon pieces make the perfect texture addition as well. (Updated recipe!)

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 658kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
12-14 oz uncooked bacon
1 small yellow onion
2 medium carrot
1/2 cup chopped broccoli stems
1 garlic cloves pressed
3 tbsp all purpose flour*
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups half and half
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese block not shredded
8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese block not shredded
1 tsp salt adjust to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes adjust to taste
14-16 oz broccoli florets
3 tbsp diced chives

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Steam broccoli:

Dice the florets as small as you wish and spread them on a large, microwave-safe plate. (Save excess stems.) Add a little water to the bottom, cover with a microwave lid, and cook it for a two to three minutes. Set steamed broccoli aside.

Cook bacon:

Note that it is easier to dice cols bacon, so don't pull it out of the refrigerator until ready to cut.
Preheat a Dutch oven or a soup pot of choice and add a little oil. Add diced bacon and cook it until the fat is all rendered.
Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Set bacon aside.
If you have too much bacon fat remaining, pour some off into an aluminum foil lined cup (discard when cooled).

Cooking the soup:

Add diced onion, carrots, and broccoli stems to the pot and cook until softened. Make a little well in the center of the veggies and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant.
Lower the heat to medium-low, sprinkle flour over all of the veggies and stir to coat the veggies evenly.
Continue to stir veggies and pour in the stock. Stir slowly but well, until the mixture is smooth and starting to thicken. Mix in seasoning and pour in half and half. Mix well and let it heat through.
While it's heating through, grate the cheeses on a large box grater. Once the creamy broth is hot (never boiling), slowly stir in the cheeses, adding one handful at a time.
When cheese is smooth and melted, add in the steamed broccoli, crispy bacon, and chives. Stir to combine everything and cook for just a few minutes, making sure everything is heated through.

Video

Notes

REMEMBER: don’t cook the soup too long after adding cheese and cream and DO NOT bring the soup to boil. Boiling and cooking too long after adding cheese and cream will cause it to separate.

*Gluten Free Adjustment: the only ingredient you will need to substitute to make this soup gluten free is the flour. Use all purpose gluten free flour in the soup to make it gluten free. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but double check the packaging label just in case!

Storing: Make sure to cool the cooked soup to room temperature first. Store it in an airtight food storage container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition