Broccoli-Cheddar Soup (Repost)

I posted this back in 2008, but I wanted to pay proper respect to this recipe, because it is my all-time fave soup recipe, probably hands down.  That's a hard one though; I love so many different kinds of soup.  This is delicious, easy, and I make it all the time.  I've had the recipe memorized for a while now.  I wanted to give this recipe its own post, along with some new pictures. 

Some fresh bread or rolls (or some from the bakery) make this a complete meal.  The recipe calls for 1 pound of broccoli, but I usually use two heads and I don't know if that equals one pound, or more.  Sometimes, it's a LOT of broccoli, but that just makes it better.  I love that this recipe does not call for Velveeta, or other "processed cheese food", and is still thick, creamy and delicious.  Make sure you use sharp cheddar so you get a strong cheese flavor. 

Note:  1/14/2013: I continue to make this often and want to note that using unsweetened almond milk is a good way to cut back on a few calories while still maintaining the rich creaminess.  Also, when I made this last night, I didn't have quite enough Cheddar, so I used what I had, and also some freshly Parmesan and Monterrey Jack cheese.  It was still very good.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

heavily adapted from Allrecipes.com

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
1 pound (or more!) fresh broccoli, chopped coarsely
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk (unsweetened almond milk is also good)
8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a stockpot. Cook onion in butter until softened. Add garlic and pepper; cook for 1 minute then stir in broccoli, and stir in chicken broth. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk flour into milk until dissolved. Stir into soup, stirring frequently until thickened. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese until melted and heated through.

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