One-Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe with Smoked Paprika and Dijon

This is one of the American recipes I use to trick my family into eating more veggies without them realizing it. It is quite fast, a comfortable, one-pot kind of recipe, and perfect for this period of the year. Also, it is, for me, a lifesaver, as I basically always have all the ingredients in the pantry, and I’m sure you do too.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 medium-large carrot;
• 1 cup broccoli florets (I honestly buy them frozen, so I always have them and I don’t have to worry about cleaning or cutting them);
• 1/4 cup butter;
• 1 clove garlic and half a white onion;
• 2 cups vegetable broth (I used to buy it ready in the brick, but you could easily make it at home or buy the dehydrated one, so you can just add it whenever you need it);
• 2 cups whole milk (it is important that it is whole, as we need the fat to make it creamy);
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard;
• 1 tsp smoked paprika;
• 1/4 cup flour;
• 1 cup shredded cheddar;
• Pinch of salt if needed, pinch of black pepper.

Time needed: 40 mins total

Step

First of all, toss the butter in a deep pot over medium heat, and when it is melted, add grated garlic, onion, and carrots; I honestly prefer the grated carrots to the sliced ones, as they blend better in both shape and consistency, but it is totally on you. When they start browning, add the smoked paprika, the mustard, and the broccoli florets and golden them too: I prefer adding the seasonings here as I feel they toast and release more flavor.

Remember to always keep stirring in this phase as we won’t have liquids, so we need to prevent it from sticking. Add the flour here too (it is always better to sift it), so it can start getting the creamy consistency and perfectly cover all the veggies. Lower the heat and start adding the broth slowly: we want the liquids to just cover them, without soaking the veggies; that’s really important to not lose their consistency.

We will both add the water and the milk in the same way, but we want to simmer it, neither overcook nor boil. Look at my third image; when stirring, you can create that path in the soup; that’s the moment to turn it off. You can still adjust it as you prefer, if more watery and thin or thick and firm.

It should take between 10 and 15 minutes total. Add the cheddar: it must be out of the stove, or it will leave a bitter aftertaste. Stir until it melts and taste it: you shouldn’t need to add salt as both broth and cheddar are salty, but you might want to adjust it with salt and black pepper.

Serve it in a deep dish right away; it must be eaten really hot, as the cheddar tends to get firm really quickly. And enjoy!

Tricks:

• The first important thing I want to highlight is the cheddar choice. I don’t know if I was just unlucky, but I noticed that every time I use pre-shredded cheddar, I either don’t like the final consistency or it is not as intense as I like it, while the flavor and consistency are ”fancy” when I shred it on my own. So I strongly suggest taking a couple of minutes more and buying the block to shred on your own.
• It is the perfect recipe to be paired with toasted sliced bread, even more when it is firm, and use it literally as a spoon.
• If you are feeling under the weather, you could add grated fresh ginger too, as it is perfect to highlight all the smoked flavor of paprika and cheddar. It is not in the traditional recipe, but I think it fits perfectly.
• If you like it and want it to be exactly like the famous recipes, add 1/4 tsp of nutmeg: it will make everything blend evenly and make all the flavors highlight each other.