Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons
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Topped with homemade croutons, this creamy broccoli soup is a meal unto itself and ready in under an hour.
Topped with crisp homemade croutons, this rich and creamy broccoli soup is a meal unto itself. It’s perfect to ward off the evening chill, and it’s ready in under an hour.
What you’ll need to make Broccoli Soup
For the ingredients, you’ll need the basics, plus white wine and Gruyère, a nutty and earthy-tasting cheese from Switzerland. It is available at most large grocery stores, Whole Foods, or gourmet markets.
Since the recipe only calls for a half cup of wine, I use a small bottle from a four-pack — they’re inexpensive and great to keep on hand for cooking.
How to make broccoli soup
Begin by chopping your vegetables. No need to chop them too finely since they all get puréed in the end.
Melt the butter in a large soup pot.
Cook the onion, garlic, carrots and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the white wine and cook until almost completely reduced.
Add the broccoli, chicken broth, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the cream.
Then purée until smooth.
Gradually add the cheese, stirring until smooth. Add the nutmeg, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
What you’ll need to make the croutons
While the soup is cooking, make the croutons. You’ll need bread cubes (preferably day old), butter, salt, and pepper.
How to make the croutons
Melt the butter in the microwave, then toss it with the bread cubes directly on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the bread cubes are golden brown and crisp.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons. Enjoy!
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Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons
Topped with homemade croutons, this creamy broccoli soup is a meal unto itself and ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small yellow onions, roughly chopped (about 1¾ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 pound broccoli, florets and stems, roughly chopped
- 4 cups (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half & half, for a lighter version)
- 1 heaping cup grated Gruyère, packed (you'll need about 3 oz.)
- Pinch nutmeg
For the Croutons
- 2 cups cubed French Bread, preferably day old
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Soup
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine and cook until almost completely reduced, a few minutes.
- Add the broccoli, chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream; then, use a hand held immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then purée in a blender in batches. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and cover with a kitchen towel to allow the steam to escape.) Bring the soup to a simmer, then gradually stir in the cheese, stirring until melted. Add the nutmeg, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper). Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with croutons.
For the Croutons
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- Directly on the baking sheet, toss the bread cubes with the melted butter. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake for 13-15 minutes, tossing once, until the bread cubes are golden brown and crisp.
- Note: The soup thickens as it sits; add a bit of water to thin it out if necessary.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 414
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 13g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Cholesterol: 95mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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SO GOOD!!! This is a keeper!
DEElicious soup. I was never a broccoli fan until I started making Jenn’s Roasted Broccoli with Chipotle Honey Butter – it was like eating candy it was so delicious and I found myself buying broccoli crowns whenever they went on sale just to make it. But with such a large amount of broccoli in my fridge I had to diversify and found this soup recipe. I puréed the soup in batches in a blender before I added the cream, tasted it and it was pretty darn delicious as it was (for those who want to count calories and make the soup healthier) but the cream upped the taste and again, I could really have stopped there as far as great soup but my husband reminded me that, like adding bacon to a recipe can’t do anything but good things, cheese does good things in any recipe. Well, it was a filling hearty soup and I made sour dough croutons to use up the bread and it was a wonderful meatless meal.
Beautiful recipe! This was easy to make and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. My store didn’t have gruyere cheese so I substituted good extra sharp cheddar that I grated. (No anti-caking agents) As much as I wanted to use all heavy cream I used 1/4 cup cream and the rest 1/2 & 1/2. It was rich enough and just the right thickness. Thanks for saying how much extra salt and pepper you add. I use this as a guide and it’s spot on. I always make your Artisan bread with soup and this bread makes the best croutons! We had the soup and bread and after two bowlfuls my husband was satisfied! Thanks Jenn! Can’t wait for your cookbook to arrive in September!
This is an amazing soup recipe…I make it all the time. I do use my own crouton recipe, however, with either sourdough or rosemary bread, a little dried Italian seasoning and some fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano for the last few minutes in the oven.
Jen, can you use frozen broccoli?
Sure, frozen broccoli should work here. Enjoy!
The soup is delicious ,everyone enjoyed it.
Broccoli cheese soup was delicious! I don’t think it was expensive to make at all. If this soup was ordered at a restaurant it would cost a lot more! We eat home all the time and most of my recipes come from Jenn. I enjoy cooking, this way I basically know what I’m putting in my food. Why do reviews have to be so negative? I follow many bloggers and I can honestly say Jenn has all of them beat! Thanks again for all your great recipes!!
Great flavour. I like the texture of the broccoli whole, so I did not purée. Only cheese I had in the fridge was old cheddar. Family loved it.
This soup was fantastic. It was creamy and flavorful and was a great way to use up an excess of broccoli. I pulled out about a half cup of the broccoli florets after cooking them, then added them back in after the rest was pureed for some texture. The croutons are a great addition too.
Another winner! Great soup! Great Taste!