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If you’re a fan of broccoli cheddar soup or cheeseburger soup, you’re going to love this recipe. Beefy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a combination of those two soups with all those familiar flavors but then there’s this depth of flavor with the beef and a heartiness with the potatoes that makes it a full meal. The only complaint I have with traditional broccoli cheddar soup is I don’t ever feel like I’m getting a complete meal, so I end up compensating with way too much crusty bread. Adding the protein and potatoes creates a one pot meal that’s satisfying and very comforting.
If you’re not a red meat eater you can substitute in a shredded rotisserie chicken for the beef. You’ll just need to sauté your veggies in more oil to compensate for the lack of rendered fat from the beef. And if chicken-based soups in general are more your thing, you’ll want to check out my chicken corn chowder and white chicken chili recipes.
Tips for the Best Beefy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Use lean ground beef. I find the 93% lean ground beef works best because the small fat rendered is just enough to brown the onion and carrots. If you use a fattier beef, just remove some of the fat before adding the onion and carrot. Not ALL. You’ll want about 2 tbsp of rendered fat in the pot.
- If you plan ahead and serve broccoli earlier in the week, just make extra so you have leftovers for this recipe. That’s what I usually do, and it helps to have one less step of steaming the broccoli. Just grab from the fridge and dump it in. I love steaming broccoli with this steam basket.
- For the potatoes, you want medium bite size pieces. If you use the mini red potatoes (I get them at Kroger) you’ll just need to halve most of them. Some will be small enough to just throw in. If you can’t find mini ones, then you’ll need to quarter or even eighth the bigger potatoes. Use your discretion.
- Shred the cheddar cheese yourself. If you get bagged cheese it may melt in a funky way from the starch the cheese is coated in. I love using my food processor with the shredder attachment for shredding cheese.
Beefy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 lb lean ground beef 90% lean or leaner
- 1 onion diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- salt & pepper to season beef eyeball it
- 7 c chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 24 oz mini red potatoes (1 lb 8 oz bag) halved
- 8 oz Velveeta american cheese cubed
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1/4 c sour cream
- 2 broccoli crowns chopped and steamed
Thickener
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 1/3 c flour
- 1 1/2 c half & half
Instructions
- Wash, chop and steam broccoli. Set aside.
- Clean and cut potatoes. Either halve or quarter if you have larger ones. Set aside.
- Set a pot over medium heat and begin browning beef. Add onions and carrots once most of the pink is cooked out. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken stock, seasoning and potatoes. Stir. Turn the heat to high and once the pot is boiling, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- While the soup cooks make the thickener in a separate pot over medium heat. Melt butter, add flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Pour in half and half and whisk until it's smooth and thick.
- Add the thickener to the soup and whisk. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Add diced Velveeta and 4 oz of the shredded cheddar cheese to the pot. Stir and allow to melt.
- Once the cheese has melted add sour cream. Stir.
- Add steamed broccoli and once the broccoli is heated through it's time to serve.
- Top bowls with remaining 4 oz of shredded cheddar cheese.