Asiago Broccoli Cheese Soup
This soup is a divine variation of a classic broccoli cheese soup. It has a slightly different flavor because it features a stronger cheese. I also paired it with simple, cheesy croutons that can be made while soup is cooking. This whole dish shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes and you will definitely enjoy the results!
This is just what I wanted, a big bowl of delicious broccoli cheese soup that’s bursting with flavor from Asiago cheese, sharp white cheddar cheese, and homemade cheesy croutons. I had a very unfortunate experience with a Asiago broccoli cheese soup in the past so I could not rest until I figured out and created exactly what I expected.
This soup always sounds amazing on a menu but it’s never very good at the restaurants. It’s like they don’t want to bring the flavor, it’s too timid, and sometimes just can’t taste anything.
Asiago has a big flavor so if you’re going to include it in the name, you have to be able to taste it. I imagined this soup to be bursting with flavorful cheese and that’s exactly the way it came out when I made it at home. Nothing but flavor here, baby!
Tips On Making Asiago Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Chop broccoli into very small pieces. This helps with the texture of the soup.
- Steam Broccoli in the microwave: It’s super fast and easy to steam it in the microwave, which is a great thing when making an easy dinner. Spread diced broccoli on a large, microwave-safe plate. Add a little water to the bottom, cover with a microwave lid, and cook it for a minute or two. Strain off water and set aside.
- This is a fast moving recipe, so prepare all of the ingredients before starting to cook.
- Stir the cream into the pot and keep stirring until smooth. You may need to use a whisk.
- Add cheese one handful at a time, while constantly stirring.
- Don’t cook the soup too long, keep the heat below medium, and don’t let cream or milk boil!
- Again, don’t let the soup boil!
Using Frozen Broccoli
- While it’s best to use fresh broccoli, you can still use frozen broccoli if you’d like. Just make sure the broccoli is fully thawed.
- Make sure to strain off all the accumulated liquids before chopping it and adding it to the soup, and it’ll be good to go.
- The good thing about using frozen broccoli is that it’s softer so you don’t need to steam it, just cook it in soup a few extra minutes.
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Asiago Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 small Vidalia onion
- 1 large carrot
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese block not shredded
- 4 oz Asiago cheese + little more for each serving bowl (block not shredded)
- 3 garlic cloves
- Salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 lb broccoli florets
Croutons:
- Italian bread or French baguette
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Asiago cheese
Instructions
- Steam broccoli until soft. Mince it and set aside. (You can steam it in a microwave, in a steamer bag.)
- In a medium pot, heat up oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and shredded carrot. Saute until onion is transparent.
- Sprinkle flour and mix until veggies are coated with flour.
- Slowly pour in vegetable broth while constantly stirring. Add heavy cream and stir.
- Let soup heat through (still on medium heat.) Once it starts to boil, start adding cheeses.
- Grate cheddar and Asiago cheeses into the pot. Stir slowly until cheeses are all melted. (I recommend using block cheese and grate it in yourself because it will melt much better. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cornstarch while packaged.)
- Add pressed garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in broccoli. Lower the heat to medium low, cover and cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Croutons: (I didn't put measurements for a reason, because you can make as few or an many as you want and it just requires a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt and cheese.) Preheat oven to 325℉. Cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes and place them in a mixing bowl. Drizzle some olive oil. add some salt and grated Asiago cheese. Mix well until all bread cubes are evenly coated. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until crunchy and golden.
- Top each bowl of soup with some grated Asiago cheese and croutons.
Notes
- Gluten Free: you can easily make this soup gluten free by simply substituting 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour instead of regular flour.
- Using Frozen Broccoli: While it’s best to use fresh broccoli, you can still use frozen broccoli if you’d like. Just make sure the broccoli is fully thawed. Make sure to strain off all the accumulated liquids before chopping it and adding it to the soup, and it’ll be good to go. The good thing about using frozen broccoli is that it’s softer so you don’t need to steam it, just cook it in soup a few extra minutes.
- Heavy whipping cream – for the best rich and creamy texture, do use heavy whipping cream and nothing less.
- Want It Thicker? If you would like to make your soup thicker, you can simply increase the amount of flour. Use 2-3 tablespoons more flour to make it thicker. You can also make it cheesier or creamier by increasing amount of cheese and/or heavy whipping cream.
- Storing: You can store cooled soup in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it should last 3-4 days.
Nutrition
More Soup Recipes To Try
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This was a delicious soup, and especially nice with the addition of the Asiago cheese. I love thick soup, but I found it was a bit too thick to start with, so I added an extra half cup of cream and maybe an additional cup of broth, which gave it the perfect consistency. Definitely one I’ll be making again.
I am glad you liked it, Helen!
Just made the asiago cheese broccoli soup and this will be THE only recipe I use from now on! My husband loves broccoli cheese soup and couldn’t stop from eating almost the whole pot!
Hi, Christie! I am so glad you loved it!!! 🙂
Excellent soup. I made it for lunch today. I usually prep all the ingredients before I start and this made the soup come together quickly. I did have to add more half and half (as I didn’t have heavy cream)about 2 cups. And I used chicken broth as I didn’t have any vegetable. We especially loved the Asiago cheese. It gave the soup a nice rich flavor. This will stay in my go to file. Thanks for the great recipe.
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How much would it be without the bread nutritional facts I’m on a very low carb diet
Thank you
Just wondering: Would you think chicken broth, and sharp cheddar cheese would work in this dish. Only asking because I usually always have chicken over vegetable and sharp over white in the house. We always have asiago and parmesan so not worried there. My husband is the cook but ever since he has stopped being self-employed and went back to 9-5 style jobs I am having to cook now. Thankfully I have always spent my time in the kitchen watching my mom and husband, but my husband loves broccoli cheese soup and he makes an awesome one. I would love to try this one and surprise/impress him with this, lol. Especially since he loves asiago and is the reason we always have it.
Hi Dani!
You can definitely use chicken broth. The flavor difference between veggie broth and chicken broth is not very big, so as long as you don’t use beef broth, you are just fine. Sharp cheddar will work as well. I’d just stick to the block rather than shredded because shredded cheese is normally coated in corn starch and will add to thickness of the soup.
If you want, I also have another broccoli cheese soup you could try: https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2013/07/broccoli-bacon-cheese-soup.html
I really hope you guys will like it!
I made this twice last week…it was so GOOD!
I’m so happy to hear that, Desirea! Thank you 🙂
An absolutely delicious soup! It requires some attention while cooking, but it’s easy to make. I pre-chopped and pre-shredded everything that needed it, so it came together fast when I was ready to cook. I did not mince the broccoli, because I prefer to have bite sized chunks of broccoli in it. It was out of this world delicious and perfect served with a Caesar salad. Next time I may just have to double the recipe.
I’m glad it worked out for you, Christine! I definitely know a few people that would’ve used broccoli chunks.:)
I had to add more cream/broth/cheese because when it was supposed to be done, there was very little in my pan. I’m only cooking for two and the regular amount of specified ingredients would not have been enough. But other than that, delicious!
I’m glad you enjoyed the taste, Marcy! I’m sorry you didn’t have enough, it should make 3-4 servings. You can definitely double the recipe for next time 🙂
Thank you!!
What are the nutritional breakdowns carbohydrates Etc thank you
Adding the nutritional info now, Renee! Thank you for asking 🙂
🙂
Soup is favorite thing to serve on a chilly night. This soup looks ahhhmazing! Cant wait to try it 🙂
Thank you so much, Kathleen! I hope you’ll try it soon!
We were never really a soup eating family, but, I think we are turning the corner.
I hope you will! This will be worth it 🙂