EASY BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP RECIPE [GLUTEN-FREE]

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe [Gluten-free] image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 14

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4 TB salted butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp tarragon
1 cup precut matchstick carrots
1 cup half & half (or heavy cream)
4 cup good quality vegetable broth
2 large bay leaves
4 TB cornstarch, dissolved in 4 TB water
5 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
4 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated and lightly packed
Optional: extra broccoli florets and grated cheese for topping, breads or crackers (GF if desired) for dipping

Steps:

In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring 2-3 minutes until tender. Add tarragon and carrots, and stir 3-4 minutes. Gently stir in the half & half, vegetable broth, bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately stir in the fully dissolved cornstarch and keep stirring until mixture thickens (if you want it even thicker, add another 1-2 TB of dissolved cornstarch.)
Add broccoli florets, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes uncovered. Pick out bay leaves and carefully place Dutch oven in empty sink, to make it easy to blend without mess. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup a little at a time, just until soup reaches desired texture with some chunkiness; go slowly, as this soup can easily turn into puree.
Place pot back on stove over medium heat. Add freshly shredded cheese and stir just until melted. Serve with additional broccoli florets and/or cheese for garnish, if desired. Serve with crusty bread (GF optional) if desired. Leftovers keep well covered in fridge.