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We’ve reached the end of 5-Ingredient Soup Week here at Gimme Some Oven. And let me tell you, it has been delicious!
In case you missed it, we ladled up some black bean soup, potato soup, easy chili, and tomato soup, all made of course with just 5 tasty ingredients each. But today we conclude the series with a creamy and healthier take on a classic — 5-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup.
I have to admit that I only recently developed a taste for this classic, having avoided it for years due to copious amounts of Velveeta and a not-so-fondness for broccoli. But this recipe is happily processed-cheese-free (just use regular cheddar!). And I’m slowly coming around on learning to like those little trees in my soup. I also included one of my healthier tricks for making the soup creamy, so read below to learn the magic five ingredients for this recipe!
Ok, ok, actually the ingredients for this 5-ingredient broccoli cheese soup are pretty straightforward. You need:
broccoli (fresh or frozen)
a small onion
evaporated milk (my favorite healthier alternative to heavy cream)
chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make this vegetarian)
cheddar cheese (I recommend using sharp for more flavor. Also, some brands of pre-shredded cheddar cheese melt more easily than others. To play it safe, I actually recommend buying a block of cheddar and shredding it yourself. But I do find that Kraft’s shredded cheddar melts well consistently.)
Annnnd, I must also request that you use a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Depending on the kind of cheddar cheese that you use, this soup may need more/less salt. And if you really want to go beyond 5 ingredients, I also recommend adding in some Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning to the mix. But the soup also tastes great just with the straightforward 5 ingredients.
Anyway, the 5-ingredient version of this recipe really couldn’t be easier. You literally toss all five ingredients together in a saucepan…
…and slowly bring them to a simmer (not a boil), and cook until the onions are soft. Then this delicious soup is ready to go in no time.
I was amazed at how those five simple ingredients really do provide plenty of flavor. I will note that the soup is a little on the thin side. So if you want to thicken it, you are welcome to create a roux beforehand by heating 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour together in the saucepan, and stirring them for a minute until the flour is cooked and slightly golden. Then whisk in the chicken stock, and then add in the remaining ingredients and follow the recipe as indicated. If you prefer a pureed broccoli cheese soup instead of chunky, feel free to blend it using an immersion or traditional blender.
Other than that, this recipe is pretty straightforward. And if I do say so myself, it’s delicious!!
Thanks for tuning in for a week of so many soup recipes. We’ll move onto another culinary topic next week, I promise!
***UPDATE: Directions have been edited since the initial posting. A number of readers were having problems with the soup curdling. I re-tested the recipe a handful of times, and never had my cheese curdle. But this updated method should be more foolproof, just stirring the cheese in at the very end off the heat.
plus a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper
(optional: a few generous pinches of Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning)
Instructions
Stir together stock, diced onion and broccoli in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Stir in the evaporated milk and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until the mixture returns to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.
Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm.
**As I said above, some brands of shredded cheese melt more easily than others. To play it safe, I recommend buying a block of cheddar and shredding it yourself just before adding in the cheese. But I used Kraft brand for this recipe, and it melted perfectly!**
Be sure to check out my other 5-ingredient soup recipes too!
I made this and used skim milk instead of condensed, used a bit less chicken stock, then added some quinoa which thickened it up a bit and added a nice texture. So easy and YUM!
I was SO looking forward to this soup! Then I made it and followed the directions to a T– and my shredded cheese curdled :(:( wrecked the recipe. I don’t know what I did wrong?
Sidonie H. —
Mine did too…did you ever get an answer? It still tastes good but the consistency is weird of course…
So good and easy. Though it might have ruined the point of five ingredients, I added a few cups of cooked rice right before adding the cheese. Perfectly delicious..
Can you over cook this? Could it be made in the crock pot instead of the stove? How would you recommend doing this? I assume on low…but for how long? Thank you! :)
My cheese curdled! :( What gives? Followed the recipe and even shredded my own cheese. Any tips would be appreciated :)
Tia Elizabeth —
Hi…this happened to me too, so I asked my friend who is a chef. She said the cheese will curdle if the soup is too hot. Never boil or get too hot. Make sure to only “simmer” it and take it off the heat when adding the cheese. Whisk constantly while adding the cheese. Also just a note, “sharp” cheddar seems to curdle very easily. Try using mild cheddar, jack, etc. I tried it again and it worked perfectly. Good luck!
My friends and I have had the same problem with the cheese curdling, and we found that the cheaper brands(store brands such as walmart great value, shoprite, pricechopper etc) of cheeses work best when making soups or mac and cheese in the crockpot. For some reason when using these brands everything comes out perfect everytime.
Amazing recipe :D we had this tonight was very yummy! Will definitely make it again. WE didn’t put the cheese in until the end though, melted quickly and was so yummy!
The cheese curdled and the soup was super thin. Almost impossible to get it warm enough to soften the broccoli and onions without curdling the cheese. Wouldn’t recommend.
Made this tonight! In previous comments, I see people had troubles with the cheese curdling. I suggest using the new shredded cheese by Velveeta (called “Velveeta Shreds”). It melted perfectly, and the soup turned out great! Thanks for this quick and easy recipe!
I saw the comments about the cheese curdling. Try slowly heating the stock and evap milk and/or roux. Then add the cheese and allow it to melt on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, add the other ingredients to your cheese sauce. That will keep the cheese from curdling and create a smoother texture. To be fair, Ali did warn not to let it get to hot to avoid curdling. Hope yours turns out delicious!
Rozz —
I made two batches at the same time. Made them exactly alike–homemade veggie stock, onion, broccoli, evaporated milk and kraft shredded cheese. One pot curdled and one pot was perfect. Go figure!
One trick for fixing a curdled cheese sauce (for it is heartbreaking when a cheese sauce breaks) is to use an immersion blender and blend it smooth. I broke a mac and cheese sauce by getting it too hot and saved it with my stick blender. It won’t be prefect, but it can be the difference in edible and not.
Hi, I just made this – it didn’t turn out well – but I was able to save it. (I don’t blame the recipe or the author, since I made some edits and didn’t know about keeping the heat low.)
Here’s what I did:
Sauteed some chopped onion, grated carrots and chopped mushrooms in garlic oil. Added the vegetable broth. Added 1 can of low-fat evaporated milk (which turned out to be 12 oz, so I added a bit of soy milk) Then I added two types of shredded cheddar cheese and then the broccoli and set on a low boil.
Here’s what happened:
It started to smell a bit sour, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what curdling meant. But then I saw the cheese become kind of chunky and the milky broth was a weird color so I knew something was wrong.
Here’s How I fixed it:
I saw online some sites said to whisk in some lemon juice. That didn’t help.
So I started over.
I made a roux – I don’t know the measurements, I just know how to make it – melted butter, add flour gradually, once that’s mixed in and getting thick, add milk, gradually. It’ll get thick then thin out. I added a good amount of milk until I had a sauce, then I slowly added cheese. All the time the heat was on 2 on my burner.
Then I spooned out the veggies from my other pot with a little broth and blended them up. I added that bit by bit to my cheese sauce, whisking it along. Then I had a relatively creamy broccoli cheese soup.
I quickly boiled some extra carrots and broccoli in veg broth, drained them, then poured them into the soup and let it sit a bit on low heat.
I followed the directions except for adding the cheese. I bought finely shredded great value brand and added that last. Removed the pot from heat and slowly added the cheese until it was all melted and mixed. Found the soup ended up being thicker this way too. Turned out great!
Thank you for delicious recipe! I followed the recipe with the exception that I blended it at the end so it was smooth. This is definitely a keeper! :)
Just made this recipe and it is delicious!!! It’s not super thick (which is fine, there are suggestions to thicken it that would probably work great) but it has that wonder flavor of broccoli/cheddar soup and is wonderfully light. I used vegetable brooth. I used store brand sharp shredded cheddar and had no problems. Removed it from the heat, slowly stirred in the cheddar and it blended beautifully. Great recipe-thanks!!!
Good with less cheese; I used maybe 1 and 1/4 cups. Broth could take more broccoli. Used a few drops of hot sauce instead of salt. Thickened with instant potato flakes. Served sprinkled with fresh ground pepper and shredded cheese. Very good soup! Great recipe (check on ounces for can milk- 12 ounce not 15.)
Our cheese curdled as well. I didn’t think the soup was too hot, but I guess I was wrong! I even grated the cheese myself…. accidentally grated my thumb too! Oh well, next time I’ll let it sit a couple minutes before adding the cheese. Practice makes perfect! Delicious anyways, curdled cheese and all.
Well, I tried the cheese broccoli soup for the first time. The cheese curdled although taken off heat and added last. Tasted good anyway, but not something I would want to serve appearance wise to guests. Too expensive to play around with, so if someone has a surefire way to avoid the curdling, please post. Thanks!
Thank you for this series; it’s nice to be reminded how few ingredients are really needed to make a comforting dish.
I’m planning on making your potato soup tonight or tomorrow. Because I’m like cookie monster for potatoes, and it looks just right for this weather.
I made this and used skim milk instead of condensed, used a bit less chicken stock, then added some quinoa which thickened it up a bit and added a nice texture. So easy and YUM!
This soup is straight up exciting! I love broccoli and cheese soup!
I love broccoli! I’ll try this recipe when I have the time. Thank you!
Broccoli cheddar is my all time favorite. I love the combo of broccoli and cheddar. This looks awesome, Ali!
I have really enjoyed these soup recipes!! Soup doesn’t have to be complicated!
Sounds so yummy! I’m going to share this on Facebook today..the world needs to know about it:).
5?.. like on one hand 5? Amazing, I could even do this, or my kids!
I was SO looking forward to this soup! Then I made it and followed the directions to a T– and my shredded cheese curdled :(:( wrecked the recipe. I don’t know what I did wrong?
Mine did too…did you ever get an answer? It still tastes good but the consistency is weird of course…
Maybe your next series could be about what sides (such as bread) to have with these simple soups. Enjoyed this series, keep them coming!
Love this recipe Ali! I can definitely get on board the 5 ingredient soup train :D and you can’t beat a good broccoli cheese soup! Pinning! :)
So good and easy. Though it might have ruined the point of five ingredients, I added a few cups of cooked rice right before adding the cheese. Perfectly delicious..
Can you over cook this? Could it be made in the crock pot instead of the stove? How would you recommend doing this? I assume on low…but for how long? Thank you! :)
My cheese curdled! :( What gives? Followed the recipe and even shredded my own cheese. Any tips would be appreciated :)
Hi…this happened to me too, so I asked my friend who is a chef. She said the cheese will curdle if the soup is too hot. Never boil or get too hot. Make sure to only “simmer” it and take it off the heat when adding the cheese. Whisk constantly while adding the cheese. Also just a note, “sharp” cheddar seems to curdle very easily. Try using mild cheddar, jack, etc. I tried it again and it worked perfectly. Good luck!
All of these 5-ingredient soups look so good! Thank you!
I love this, I have all of this in my house already :) it looks so comforting!
Can this be frozen? It is delicious.
Hi Ali,
My friends and I have had the same problem with the cheese curdling, and we found that the cheaper brands(store brands such as walmart great value, shoprite, pricechopper etc) of cheeses work best when making soups or mac and cheese in the crockpot. For some reason when using these brands everything comes out perfect everytime.
this recipe is BS, no matter what the cheese curdles.
I love practically “anything” with broccoli…so I’m planning to try this recipe! Thanks!
The recipe seemed to be coming together and then it curled. Not sure what I did wrong. Unfortunate because it smelled great :(
Amazing recipe :D we had this tonight was very yummy! Will definitely make it again. WE didn’t put the cheese in until the end though, melted quickly and was so yummy!
The cheese curdled and the soup was super thin. Almost impossible to get it warm enough to soften the broccoli and onions without curdling the cheese. Wouldn’t recommend.
Made this tonight! In previous comments, I see people had troubles with the cheese curdling. I suggest using the new shredded cheese by Velveeta (called “Velveeta Shreds”). It melted perfectly, and the soup turned out great! Thanks for this quick and easy recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Added cheese after the 15 minute simmer and whisked it in until it was melted-no curdling here!
I saw the comments about the cheese curdling. Try slowly heating the stock and evap milk and/or roux. Then add the cheese and allow it to melt on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, add the other ingredients to your cheese sauce. That will keep the cheese from curdling and create a smoother texture. To be fair, Ali did warn not to let it get to hot to avoid curdling. Hope yours turns out delicious!
I made two batches at the same time. Made them exactly alike–homemade veggie stock, onion, broccoli, evaporated milk and kraft shredded cheese. One pot curdled and one pot was perfect. Go figure!
One trick for fixing a curdled cheese sauce (for it is heartbreaking when a cheese sauce breaks) is to use an immersion blender and blend it smooth. I broke a mac and cheese sauce by getting it too hot and saved it with my stick blender. It won’t be prefect, but it can be the difference in edible and not.
Hi, I just made this – it didn’t turn out well – but I was able to save it. (I don’t blame the recipe or the author, since I made some edits and didn’t know about keeping the heat low.)
Here’s what I did:
Sauteed some chopped onion, grated carrots and chopped mushrooms in garlic oil. Added the vegetable broth. Added 1 can of low-fat evaporated milk (which turned out to be 12 oz, so I added a bit of soy milk) Then I added two types of shredded cheddar cheese and then the broccoli and set on a low boil.
Here’s what happened:
It started to smell a bit sour, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what curdling meant. But then I saw the cheese become kind of chunky and the milky broth was a weird color so I knew something was wrong.
Here’s How I fixed it:
I saw online some sites said to whisk in some lemon juice. That didn’t help.
So I started over.
I made a roux – I don’t know the measurements, I just know how to make it – melted butter, add flour gradually, once that’s mixed in and getting thick, add milk, gradually. It’ll get thick then thin out. I added a good amount of milk until I had a sauce, then I slowly added cheese. All the time the heat was on 2 on my burner.
Then I spooned out the veggies from my other pot with a little broth and blended them up. I added that bit by bit to my cheese sauce, whisking it along. Then I had a relatively creamy broccoli cheese soup.
I quickly boiled some extra carrots and broccoli in veg broth, drained them, then poured them into the soup and let it sit a bit on low heat.
Turned out delish.
This is so easy and so delicious. I live in Louisiana and like things kicked up a notch, so I added a little cayenne powder. Yum!
We are having this tonight. It sounds wonderful. Thanks for your hard work.
Can’t wait to try this out, looks yummy ;)
I followed the directions except for adding the cheese. I bought finely shredded great value brand and added that last. Removed the pot from heat and slowly added the cheese until it was all melted and mixed. Found the soup ended up being thicker this way too. Turned out great!
I made this & it was delicious! Only thing I didn’t have enough cream…threw in a can of cream of celery soup! It was wonderful!
Thank you for delicious recipe! I followed the recipe with the exception that I blended it at the end so it was smooth. This is definitely a keeper! :)
How did this reheat? Anyone have any luck? I like making big batches for lunch for the whole week.
Can you use chicken broth instead of stock? The only “stock” I have is in little packages so 3 cups is impossible.
Hi Whitney,
Yes, it just won’t be quite as flavorful. But it will definitely work!
~Ali
Can you sub regular milk instead of evaporated?
You can, but evaporated milk will be considerably thicker.
Thanks for the tips on how to stop the cheese from becoming a globular mess. On the other hand….we ate it…cheese curdled and all. It was delicious :-)
Just made this recipe and it is delicious!!! It’s not super thick (which is fine, there are suggestions to thicken it that would probably work great) but it has that wonder flavor of broccoli/cheddar soup and is wonderfully light. I used vegetable brooth. I used store brand sharp shredded cheddar and had no problems. Removed it from the heat, slowly stirred in the cheddar and it blended beautifully. Great recipe-thanks!!!
I usually don’t leave reviews but I had to thank you for this easy and delicious recipe. Thanks!
Turned out delicious
The broccoli cheese soup was very good. However, when I added the cheese it curlded. Any suggestions?
New directions no good…still curdled. Hope its still ok to eat :\
Good with less cheese; I used maybe 1 and 1/4 cups. Broth could take more broccoli. Used a few drops of hot sauce instead of salt. Thickened with instant potato flakes. Served sprinkled with fresh ground pepper and shredded cheese. Very good soup! Great recipe (check on ounces for can milk- 12 ounce not 15.)
Our cheese curdled as well. I didn’t think the soup was too hot, but I guess I was wrong! I even grated the cheese myself…. accidentally grated my thumb too! Oh well, next time I’ll let it sit a couple minutes before adding the cheese. Practice makes perfect! Delicious anyways, curdled cheese and all.
While this soup had a good flavor I must say the consistency was way to thin.
I made this and blended it, came out awesome, I dont know how to hashtag?
where, I only have face book
Well, I tried the cheese broccoli soup for the first time. The cheese curdled although taken off heat and added last. Tasted good anyway, but not something I would want to serve appearance wise to guests. Too expensive to play around with, so if someone has a surefire way to avoid the curdling, please post. Thanks!
Can i do this in a crock pot?
I just made this! I added carrots, potatoes, and chicken to it as well! So tasty!