A few years ago I took the kids to a December birthday party at a friend’s house. There I was introduced (through a delicious lunch) to Ham and Potato Soup from Allrecipes.com. Those 7656 mostly five-star reviews do not lie — that is some good soup.

Through the years I have shared the recipe with friends, made it for guests, and took it to new mothers. It has never let me down.

Fast forward to last year when I was searching desperately for a broccoli cheese soup recipe. I wanted to make the soup that day, but was having little luck finding a recipe that didn’t include cream or the picture didn’t look totally unappetizing. Seems that cream is a necessary for a well-photographed broccoli cheese soup.

I was about to give up in despair when I stumbled across a recipe that combined potatoes and broccoli in a soup. That got my culinary wheels turning and Creamy Vegetable Soup was born.

I decided to use my potato soup as a base for the broccoli and cheese version. I also threw in a few extra veggies I had in the house, and they really added extra flavor to the mix.

Note that there is not a bit of cream in this recipe either, just the milk that is probably already in your refrigerator. I serve this with extra cheese sprinkled on top, some bacon bits, and a salad or some crusty bread on the side.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

  • 1 TBS olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion — diced
  • 1 stalk celery — diced
  • 1 small yellow squash – diced
  • 1 small zucchini — diced
  • 3-4 small white potatoes — diced. I leave the peels on.
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or you can use water and add 3 TBS of chicken bouillon granules after the veggies boil)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli – fresh could be used as well
  • 1/2 tsp salt — or to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 5 TBS butter
  • 5 TBS flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot heat olive oil and add diced onion, celery, squash, and zucchini and cook until soft. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil until potatoes are soft — about 12 minutes. Add the broccoli in about the last 6-7 minutes of boiling. Test potato with a fork to see if it cuts easily. Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

While vegetables are boiling melt butter in a separate, smaller pot. Once butter is melted, stir in flour one TBS at a time to make a roux. Cook it for about one minute and then slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is combined, cook until it thickens, stirring often so it doesn’t burn.

Once the milk mixture has thickened add it to the large pot with the cooked veggies. Stir to combine and then using a hand mixer, blend the soup to the desired consistency. I like to leave some small veggie pieces in there, but it varies each time I make it. You can also do this step by dividing the soup in portions and blending it in a blender.

When the soup is blended and creamy, stir in the cheese until melted and enjoy!

Download printable version here