Broccoli Cheese Soup

It’s about time you met this broccoli cheddar soup recipe. It’s rich and indulgent, but not so much that it weighs me down. I have high standards for broccoli cheese soup. I wanted soup that met the following qualifications: Sufficiently green and full of fresh flavor Cheesy! Luxuriously smooth but with some texture from tender florets

Preferably free of flour and heavy cream. I wanted all that, and I didn’t want to feel like I was eating a bowl of queso (don’t get me wrong, sometimes that’s exactly what I want to eat). This recipe checks all the boxes! This soup is a light meal on its own, or would make a proper meal with a sandwich or crisp salad.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (reduce or omit if sensitive to spice)
• 1 ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds broccoli with stalks (3 large or 4 medium)
• 1 large (about 12 ounces) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
• 6 cups water
• 4 to 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese, depending on your mood
• Thinly sliced chives or green onions, for garnish (optional)