Broccoli Cream Soup with Cheddar (Slow-Cooker)

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup is rich and creamy. Each bite is the best comfort food and so easy in the slow cooker.

broccoli florets (2x500 g)
2 cups onions, diced small
3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp. celery salt
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
3-4 cups cheddar cheese, freshly shredded

To Serve:
freshly shredded cheddar cheese
heavy cream

Cut the broccoli into small bite size pieces and place the broccoli, onions, garlic, celery salt, thyme, salt and pepper in the slow cooker.

Cover with chicken broth. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

After this cooking time, stir in the heavy cream and the shredded cheese. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Stir thoroughly right before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:

•  Try to hand shred the cheese. Pre-shredded bags of cheese don’t melt as smoothly in the soup. The consistency is much better when you shred the cheese yourself.
• Prior to adding the heavy cream and cheese, you can use an immersion blender if you prefer. Using this will make the soup really smooth and creamy if you don’t like chunks of vegetables. Just do what you prefer.

Storage:

• Refrigerate the leftovers in an air tight container for up to 4-5 days. The soup will thicken as it sets so add more broth to the soup when reheating to thin it back out.
• You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag or container.

Variations:

• Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.
• Evaporated milk can be used instead of heavy whipping cream.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Why did my soup separate? This can happen when the temperature is too hot or if you add the cheese and milk too soon in the cooking process. We suggest adding the cheese and cream right before serving and this should help to make sure the soup does not separate.
• How do you make the soup thicker? The initial cornstarch slurry should do the trick. However, if the soup is still not thick enough, more can be added. Just make another slurry with cornstarch and water or broth and add to the mixture. To make a slurry, you typically use a 1 to 2 ratio. For example, if you use a Tbsp. of cornstarch, you will use 2 Tbsp. of water.

Serving Suggestions:

• Bread is a must when cream soup. I always love to dip the bread into the delicious sauce. It is heavenly. These are a few favourites and they are all super easy. You could also pick up a loaf of French bread at the bakery. Either way, you definitely need some crusty bread to serve with this recipe.
• You could also make some fresh cheesy croûtons.