Excellent Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have made this recipe twice for crowds and it has been a big hit! I only do 2 things differently. First, I saute an onion in with the butter in the beginning. Also, I have thrown in cubed potatoes with good results. This is a great "cheese soup base" that could be varied many ways-- chicken, carrots, potatoes, Kielbasa, etc.

This was a delicious recipe...MADE CHANGES, but I don't think they were too drastic. The entire family from baby to hubby LOVED it. My changes were: 1) used water and 3-4 Tbsp. chicken base paste (Tone's brand from Sam's -- no MSG)for broth, 2) Omitted salt, but used all that pepper! (Salt to taste before serving), 3) Cornstarch, for thickening: 1/3 cup mixed with a cup of the cold water or broth and brought to the boil in "step 1", 4) Broccoli: I steamed florets and small stems until just tender, then CHOPPED to my liking . I didn't measure, but would use more than two heads next time. 5) Added 3-4 Tbsp. white wine worcestershire. WOW!!!! If you can't find, try a small amount of regular. 6) Used 8 oz of sharp natural cheddar- no processed cheese. More would be even better.

This turned out great. I followed the recipe exactly after scaling it down to 6 servings. I would recommend doubling the amount of brocolli. DON'T FORGET TO SCALE IT DOWN. :) Enjoy...

I had to go buy a larger pot to make this for my family it's so great!! When making it in my standard 6 qt. dutch oven (making 12 servings) it would disappear so fast! This is a fabulous base for any cheese soup. As a broccoli soup it is wonderful so we decided to use the base for and try a potato soup and that turned out amazing as well. Tonight we made it as potato soup and used 1 cup of margarine and 1 cup of flour. We then use 7 cups of chicken stock and 7 cups of milk, 2 lbs of velveeta and 8 cups of shredded mild cheddar then added steamed potatoes, sautéd onions and some shredded carrots. We always add more broccoli than it calls for when we make the broccoli soup and we like the broccoli stems chopped pretty fine. I really can't rave about this enough as it is a huge hit with my whole family. I'm thinking of trying it next time with cauliflower! I'll let you know how it turns out but I'm sure it will be great too. Also just to let you know we only lightly salt the veggies when we steam them then only use about 1/4 to a 1/2 of tsp of salt or it can get too salty but I do increase the pepper just a bit. If you haven't tried this yet please do. You'll be so happy you did!

This was the best broccoli cheese soup we have ever had. Before my husband even finished 1/2 of his first bowl, he said, "I hope you wrote this recipe down." I used only shredded sharp cheddar cheese and I added black pepper. We grow our own broccoli, so the home grown flavor does help. I have already made this three times and will continue to make it. This is a definite keeper.

While this soup tastes excellent and my tastebuds are thrilled, I'm still rating this recipe one star in protest. It has three fundamental flaws. First off, it makes a ginormous amount of soup. More than you can cook in a very large pot. I believe in family size, but this is ridiculous. I knew 18 cups of liquid sounded like a lot, but my lack of cup/spatial recognition now means I'll be having this soup for a month. The top broccoli soup recipe should not be one for a party, it should use proportions that normal families need. I'm also dinging this recipe for the processed cheese. Call me a food snob if you want, but I don't want to live in a world where Velvetta tastes better than real cheese. I have to imagine that there is an alternative with real cheese that tastes so much better. Finally, this recipe is getting a one star shaft because it's way off on how much broccoli you'll need. You can easily double or triple the amount and be fine. I'd also recommend chopping the broccoli into small pieces vs. using the unchopped crown.

I used steamed broccoli (with butter) instead of frozen- Boy does this make a difference!!! My hubby was digging out most of the broccoli for himself... :) and its just as good reheated. **I'm doubling the amount of steamed brocolli in the future.**

Very pleasant and flavorful soup that aside from some onion and garlic needed no other flourish. Some broccoli cheese soups are TOO cheesy - a thick, pasty goo with not only too much cheese but too much flour as well. Not so with this soup. It definitely has a bold cheese taste but is still a light soup with great fresh flavor. My only criticism of the recipe is that to cook the soup any further after the cheese and broccoli is stirred in risks having the cheese separate and the broccoli overcooking, either of which would ruin the soup. Once the soup has thickened, remove it from the heat, stir in the cheese, gently stir in the broccoli and serve immediately. Also, microwaving the broccoli florets made quick work of making this soup!

This recipe will replace the recipe that my mother gave me, for sure. It was so easy! The recipe was just right for our family of 6 with enough leftovers for lunch the next day for everyone. We did add more broccoli and didn't use the processed cheese, just added about a cup more of sharp cheese. My boys ages 10, 8 and 5 loved it. Served with crescent rolls. Yum!

This truly is "Excellent!" Followed recipe exactly, but next time I will add more broccoli and will try using just cheddar(more of) and not using the Velveeta. Fantastic recipe!

i tweaked this a little by adding 3 med. sized carrots and blanched them with my broccoli. i also added 1/2 of a med sized white onion to the milk/broth mix before it boiled and some nutmeg. after that had boiled i put half of my blanched veggies and half of the milk/broth/onion mix and blended it in the blender. i though that it made the soup a little "meater"

This recipe is wonderful! Just watch the size of the recipe and scale down if you don't want enough of the stuff to feed an army. Everyone loved it though.

Whoa...My expectations were high when I found this recipe. First of all, this is way too much liquid unless you plan to drink the soup from a straw. I started with 7 cups of chicken stock and 7 cups of milk, and I could have used 6 of each. Also, I started with 5 cups of broccoli and then added another 5 cups. If I would have had more, I would have added it. I also added more cheese and thickened with cornstarch and water.... I will search for another Excellent Broccoli Cheese Soup..

This soup was great! I did make some changes though, so I can't give it the full 5/5. First, I added an 1/8 cup of cornstarch in when I added the chicken broth to thicken, then added the milk. I used fresh broccoli and put it in boiling water for about 2 minutes, drained, and set aside. I then used that same pot to sautee half a large onion, 1tbsp of chopped garlic, and about 1 cup of shredded carrots. I added them to the broth before I added the cheese. I added WAY more cheese (all natural, not processed), about 6 cups. I added a dash of nutmeg, worchestire sauce, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes. Served with extra cheese shreds on top, some croutons, and bread on the side.

Wow this is sooo good. I used 6tbsp butter and 1/4 c flour. 3 cups chick stock and 3 cups milk. I used black pepper about 3/4 tsp could have used more. Cooked a chopped up onion in 2 tbsp butter, then added after I added the milk. Also added 2 grated garlic cloves, and 1/4 tsp thyme. Then I added broccoli florets, shredded broccoli stocks and carrots, cauliflower, and 2 cubed potatoes. Cooked until tender about 10 minutes and then whisked in cheese. The best advice I can give is have everything ready and near by. After you make the roux have chicken stock within reach and slowly whisk in. And don't forget to stir a lot after you add the milk or it will burn to the bottom of the pan. I only used about 8 oz processed cheese and 7 oz sharp shredded cheese. After the cheese is in it's done turn off the stove and eat with fresh baked bread or pita's I had some I need to use up.

Yuuuuuuummy! I read through lots of reviews before making it, and I took the advice of the person that submitted the recipe and added more butter and flour to make it thicker. I scaled the recipe down to 6 servings and added 1/2 c butter and 1/2 c flour. I also used all cheddar and no processed, and added lots of it. Came out delicious!!!

my first time making this when it cooled it curdled, what did I do wrong tasted very good 5 stars

I have to give this three stars because as written it lacks some zip. First of all... I did not think this was thick enough. I like a little bit thick cheese soup. This was very runny and I used less liquid than it called for. Additionally it needed something. I ended up using 2 tablespoons onion flakes and 3-4 garlic cloves finely minced. I ended up only adding 1 cup of regular cheddar cheese and 1 cup of smoked cheddar and 1 cup of smoked gouda. Mind you, I'd used about 2 cups less milk and 2 cups less stock. Chicken stock wasn't quite flavorful enough so I added a bit of Better-Than-Bouillon to pep it up. Lastly, but by far the biggest issue in my eyes... this needs double or triple the amount of broccoli. I used MORE broccoli than it called for and even with the less liquid it was sparse. I added an entire bag of organic mixed vegetables since I had no more broccoli on hand. After I made all those changes this soup was absolutely incredible. Sadly it doesn't even really work as a good base given that it's too runny for our preferences. But it is work-able which is why I gave it the 3 stars. I'll be making my version again and again though as we loved it. It was so tasty that my boyfriend actually asked "Does this have meat in it?" I said no, just smoked cheesed. :) I urge everyone to sub the cheddar with smoked cheese too. On last thing. Don't waste your time trying to shred Velveeta, I sliced it into slices, then cut those into strips and they melted.

As the title says, "Excellent!" I made this during the holidays and, it was a hit. I had crumbled bacon, caramelized onions and roasted mushrooms, plus more steamed broccoli on the side for those who liked more "stuff" in their soups, rounding it out with crusty garlic bread. Oh boy! What a durn-good meal! Thanks Nathan! ;O)

This is similar to a recipe I have made in the past. I really like it and followed it exactly with the exception of the finish. It was a little thin so I added about a 1/4 cup of instant potato flakes as it was heating to serve. I also take a potato masher and lightly mash the broccoli. Very easy and quick to make too.

This soup was very good and easy to prepare, but I recommend adding more broccoli and more cheese.

Tasty! I had to make a few changes, but this was a good base. I made about 1/3 of the recipe. I added a small finely diced onion to roux. For my liquid, I used 4 cups homemade veggie stock, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup heavy cream that I had on hand and wanted to use up. I used extra broccoli, no proccessed cheese, and extra cheddar. I also blended most of it to make it creamy. I ended up needing more pepper than suggested as well.

If you can "taste the flour" or it's "too much liquid" then you haven't made your roux correctly.. Make sure the butter is sizzling before adding the flour and be sure you're cooking it long enough. I haven't changed a thing about this recipe and its a winner every time!!

Excellent and easy. I halved the recipe and followed it exactly. Next time I won't use white pepper, but that's due to my own preference for black. Still delicious, though. And kid friendly.

I did not care for this recipe. I thought the soup was just to runny. The flavor was good but it needed way more broccoli.

I used a lot of the tips from other reviewers which helped improve the soup. I also added a lot of bacon to make appealing to my husband, and it was fantastic. Definitely a hit with my family.

I first made this years ago when I first joined Allrecipes- this recipe is still sooooo good!

This was very good, I did double the broccoli and I was glad I did. Also added sautéed onions. Next time I will cut back on the cheese just a bit.

I saute onion and grated carrot in the butter. Then I add the chicken stock and broccoli florets and cook until the broccoli it's tender. I then take my immersion blender and blend it up. I then take a cup of flour and two cups of milk and whisk until smooth. I then add it to the soup stirring to make sure there are no lumps. I then add the cheddar cheese and stir until incorporated. I have had nothing but raves. The carrot is really important because it gives the soup a nice sweetness. I left them out once and the soup wasn't nearly as good. I guess the only thing I did differently is add carrots and onions. Salt and pepper to taste as needed.

This soup is delicious!! It is thick, creamy, and delicious. The only thing I do differently is saute a mirapox (carrots, onion, celery) mix in with the butter before I add the flour! My family can't wait till cooler weather.

Absolutely delicious! My husband and I could eat this for days at a time! I like to add some diced onion, minced garlic, and a few splashes of Worcestershire to the butter before making my roux. This soup is heavenly!

So easy and extremely delicious! I made this recipe 3 times last fall between 2 months.

I really liked this soup. I added 1 lb of crispy bacon and doubled the amount of Broccoli. I also added corn starch to make it soup extra thick before letting it simmer for a bit. Can't wait to make it again!

Changes I made were few with adding a small chopped onion to the butter as one reviewer suggested, halved the recipe except for the broccoli and still came out with a LOT of soup. Heavy on the white pepper and used 1 lb of grated extra old cheddar instead of the processed cheese. Excellent soup. Adding to my regular soup rotation. Thanks!

Hi, this is my recipe. I just wanted to say that if you want to make this thicker you can just use 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) and 1 cup of flour. Or even 1 1/4 cups butter and 1 1/4 cups flour, just keep increasing it in equal proportions until you get the thickness you want. Also, I don't really like this or any broccoli cheese soup that's made entirely with cheddar cheese. I like the taste of Velveeta and it melts very smoothly. If you don't like Velveeta just use all cheddar. Or any other cheese that you like.

I made my best broccoli cheese soup ever using this recipe ... with a few tweaks. Like others, I like my soup thicker and richer. I increased the butter and flour, making substantially more roux for added thickness. Also, instead of milk I used light cream. I had colby jack on hand and used that instead of regular cheddar, along with the processed cheese the recipe calls for. I've sworn off meat, so used vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. Also, like other reviewers, I doubled the broccoli. That sounds like a lot of changes, but mostly I was just adjusting the relative amounts of the various ingredients. This is an outstanding recipe, producing the tastiest broccoli cheese I've ever had. Try this ... you won't be disappointed.

Our family loves this recipe! As the recipe is written, it tastes a bit more like cheese soup with broccoli added to it. Our whole family likes broccoli, so we typically add more than it calls for. So if you're truly looking for a broccoli tasting soup, you can use about double the broccoli that it calls for, and not have too much!

I didn't use the processed cheese as we don't really like it in our house. We prefer the real thing, so I just increased the amount of aged cheddar I used. I also cut the quantity WAY back, because it's just the 2 os us. Didn't really measure anything, jut eyeballed it. Instead of eating it as a soup, I poured it over chicken breasts and baked it at 350 for about 25-30 mins. I then served it over white rice to soak up all the yummy soup/sauce. We enjoyed it very much. Thank you for this recipe :)

Fabu! I added more broccoli (eyeballed it to my pleasing) and used only sharp cheddar to taste. I'm in LOVE!!!

I was really disappointed with this recipe. From the reviews, I expected superb soup. It turned out watery too watery and made SOOO much it was just a mess to deal with. I definitely recommend at least make only half a recipe if you want to try it.

I'm not sure why, but mine came out much much thinner than I was anticipating, which was a bit disappointing. In an effort to up the amount broccoli per other reviewers, I over-broccoli-ed the soup, which detracted from it a bit. Next time (and there will be a next time!) I'll not use so much broccoli and try to make it a bit thicker. Great start for a recipe!

Yummy. Just what I was looking for. I did add more broccoli as the 5 cups did not look like enough. I steamed it and then put it through the food processor to very finely chop it. I am not a processed cheese fan, but since I happened to have some I used it. It tasted good with it. This makes a super huge pot of soup. My 5 children and I ate it (husband won't go near soup...esp if it has broccoli in it) and its not even 1/2 gone.

This soup was pretty good, but I think that it had a little too much of a processed cheese flavor. But it was really quick and easy to make.

Very very good. Thickened it with the corn starch and used all regular cheese, no processed. Easy to make and my kids loved it. Thanks for the recipe

Love the taste. I was one of the people who added twice the amount of broccoli. I did make one BIG mistake, though. Whatever you do, don't boil the soup after you've added the cheese. My soup now has a "grainy" texture. Other than that, it's got a delicious taste!

Love this soup!! But I add double to triple the amount of broccoli. Very easy to make and it turns out fantastic every time!

I wish I could give this negative stars. Horrible. Watery. Flavorless. If you must make this, I recommend you scale it down to 3 servings so you don't waste good ingredients, like I did.

This recipe was really good, but I had to work with what I had for ingredients so I had to tweaked it a little. Instead of using processed cheese, I used Kerrygold Dubline 100% natural cheese, it was the only other cheese I had in the fridge. I also added a little more natural cheese than what the recipe called for to suit my taste. I also added some sea salt and some fresh ground organic black pepper at the table, and yum, this soup really hit the spot!! Enjoy!

The name says it all- Excellent. My husband loved it. I changed the number of servings to 4 and it took very little time to make. This recipe is perfect!

This is the best Broccoli Cheese soup i have ever made. I think the idea of making the cream soup and then adding the broccoli makes it the best. I can now use this base cream soup recipe for any flavor of soup i wish. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.

I scaled this down to 8 servings so I could use 2 cans of chicken broth...and it was AMAZING. I used frozen broccoli florets (just cooked them lightly in the microwave then chopped them up before adding to the soup) and I only used shredded cheese (no processed). I used a colby jack blend because that's what I had on hand. I had some left over heavy whipping cream so I used it for half of the milk. A little more fattening...but certainly delicious for a treat! Again, wonderful soup! So quick and easy and creamy!

Fantastically quick and easy!

Great recipe. My suggestions are to scale it down to 4-6 servings the first time you make it. We made it for 6 and it was still quite a bit for us. We also used cheddar along with the processed cheese (for the processed cheese part it calls for), plus the cheddar it calls for. It balanced it out instead of giving it a too processed cheese taste or a too sharp cheddar taste. And the final thing was we used about a 1/2 cup more broccoli than it called for and we added halved baby carrots. Its the way it's made at this restaurant I love. It makes such a difference, soooo good! ;)

This soup is wonderful!!! My family now asks for it all the time! In the middle of my sister in law's labor, she was begging me to bring this soup to her after her baby was born. I do use a little more broccoli than is recommended, about 2 heads of broccoli total. Ill never make another broccoli cheese soup recipe!

Double the broccoli - half of everything else for 9 servings instead of 18.

If there were 10 stars we would have picked all of them! Fast, Easy, and DELICIOUS!!

Easy, fairly quick recipe. Great in a pinch with bread and salad. Nothing fancy, but everyone likes it. Thanks!

This is the best broccoli cheese soup I have ever made. I scaled down the recipe for 4 servings and followed it exactly and it is very good, easy to make and very pretty to look at.

LOVED the flavor of this soup...especially the next day. The only reason I am docking a star is because the amount of brocolli the recipe calls for is WAY too low. I bought a bunch, measured out what the recipe called for, cooked it, added it to the soup....and it dissappeared....so I cooked the rest of the bunch and put it in. It was better, but I still ended up with about 4 bowls worth of soup base left over after we'd eaten all the brocolli. Next time I will probably quadruple the amount it calls for. Still...a great recipe :)

Very good soup with a couple of changes. I sauted sliced onion and garlic in the butter then added cubed potatoes. Cooked that in the broth until the potatoes were almost done. I added the chopped florets and cooked a few minutes more. Added in the milk and brought to a simmer. Off the heat I added about 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar. Garnished the bowls with scallions. Tonight we're having the leftovers with the addition of crumbled bacon.

My family loved this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly except before adding the broccoli to the dish i chopped it up. I also served it in soup bowls, it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I will definately make this again and again. My husband wants me to add "This dish is KILLER"! Thanks again.

I just made this for dinner, and it was soooo good. I made 8 serving, put 16 ounces of processed cheese and just kind of went with it with the shreaded cheese. I also added chopped potatoes. I used black pepper insted of white and topped with crumbled bacon. my family loved it.

excellent! so cheesy and yummy!!! thank you!!!! Will make again!

It's a pretty basic recipe, I highly recommend adding to it. I added bacon garlic and onion and fried them in a pan before adding them to the soup with the milk and chicken stock. I made this instead for two ppl so I put in for 6 so we'd have leftovers, the initial recipe portion is for 18 so be aware. I didn't use processed cheese, good broccoli soup you have to use old cheddar to get the taste through. Also for a roux 2 mins isn't long enough to thicken, i did mine for about 5 mins or until it gets mushy. Roux goes through stages from blonde and crumbly to kinda like a shortbread dough after that it's ready. Mine that way turned out like a chowder it was so thick. Also I used a cup of butter and a cup and a bit of flower, two stocks of broccoli, 3 onion 2 cloves of garlic. Note: it's good to add salt and pepper at the end to taste this way you can adjust it how you like. Happy cooking

I thought this soup tasted OK, but my husband did NOT like it. I think it was because of the processed cheese (if he didn't know it was in there he might have liked it). I probably won't make this again, but would recommend scaling up the broccoli.

This is good except i burned the butter twice and i had bloody eggs

Delicious & easy. I zapped fresh broccoli in the microwave and processed it in my small countertop food processor to a slight chunk. Gave the soup a nice texture.

I cut the recipe in half although used the same amount of broccoli b/c otherwise it wasn't enough broccoli. I had a 3lb bag of cut broccoli from Costco and used half of it! I used a 32 oz container of chicken broth which is only 4 cups and 4 cups milk with 1/2 cup whipping cream since I had to use it up. Not a huge white pepper fan so I cut that back to about 1/2 tsp (remember I only made 9 servings).

Very good! I used a whole bag of broccoli florets. I could have used more too but it was fine this way as well. This is so easy and very good if you like broccoli cheese soup. I would definitely recommend to everyone. Thanks for the recipe.

This was perfect! Thank you

My family loved this! I scaled the recipe down to 12 serving and followed the directions. Yum!

Our family absolutely loved this soup. We made way too much though, so next time we'll change the serving size. A great quick-fix meal and a good way to get the kiddos to eat their broccoli. We add much more than called for...

My son made this soup twice, it was out of this world, he added 1 thin (mandolin) sliced potatoe in it.

This is the yummiest broccoli soup ever! The taste is very well-balanced and it got me some great compliments last night. My mother in law even asked for the recipe! The best part: It's very easy to make. I made just a couple modifications: I added almost twice the broccoli that it asks for and sauteed the chopped up pieces in butter and just a little water, then drained the water out. I also added a tablespoon of corn starch for thickness (I had scaled the recipe to 6 servings!). Also, next time I'm going to try adding the flour after I've added in the chicken stock so it doesn't form lumps. Great recipe - you've got to try it!!!

I was given almost exactly this same recipe from a cook at a cafeteria where I loved the soup. His recipe has a couple of minor differences but everyone raves about it. I use 1/2 pepper jack cheese and 1/2 Kraft Deluxe sliced American cheese. The reason is they both melt really well.I also add the broccoli right after the stock and milk start simmering. Cooking the broccoli in the broth flavors the soup and helps thicken it. This is a great base for a yummy loaded potato soup as well. Just leave out the broccoli and add potatoes. When cooked, add the same cheese and top with crumbled bacon.

Outstanding! As we were eating this, my husband kept saying "this is really good" I used Kraft's cheddar flavored slices instead of shredded process cheese. Also added more shredded cheddar tha the recipe called for. Other than that, I followed the recipe.

Very easy to make and tastes great. I added a little more brocoli than called for but that is just our preference.

This recipe is awesome! Best broccoli cheese soup I've ever had!

Awesome soup! I've been craving some good broccoli cheddar soup like Panera's - but since I've become vegetarian, I haven't been able to (theirs includes chicken broth). I used this recipe and subbed in Imagine's 'No Chicken' broth instead of the chicken stock. For the processed cheese, I used American Cheese slices, since it was easier to tear up. Thank you for this recipe!

Excellent! My family loved it. I altered some: Added: sauteed minced onion & garlic bouillon to broccoli while cooking 2-3 cooked potatoes cut up. 1/2c mashed broccoli Switched: 1c-milk for 1c half & half Recipe is a keeper !! Thank you so much!!

I loved this recipe. My family ate this soup for supper and I did not hear any complaints!

This soup was great! I added more cheddar and also more broccoli. I also added some broccoli to the food processor along with a bit of the soup then returned it to the pot. It gave the soup a nice color and it made it a bit more textured. I added a pinch of nutmeg as well. Everybody loved it!!!

Loved this recipe. I've been pining for years over not having a Panera in Utah, now I don't know if this tastes the same, but it tastes so good, that I no longer care about Panera. Anyhow, I halved the recipe, since we're a small family. But, I put the roux at 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp of each butter and flour. I also used 1 cup of heavy cream,(and I thought the thickness was fine) since I had it and wouldn't use it for anything else. Left out the salt and pepper and put in garlic salt instead... personal tastes there. I surprised that my husband loved it as much as he did. I didn't think he'd be a fan of broccoli cheese soup in general but he LOVED this! YEA! Does anyone know if this freezes well?

I made it exactly according to the recipe (scaled down to 4 servings), except... 1. I used a fresh cheddar/white cheese mixture without any processed cheese, 2. I added half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Came out great!

pretty darn good.

This was my first time making a broccoli soup. My family loved it, which includes an 8 year old. It was even better reheated the next day. I used fresh broccoli and doubled it to make it less brothy. The cheese sauce was good, but next time I will try a cheese other than processed American, maybe Velveeta. Thanks for a great recipe!

After reading all the reviews I was excited to try this recipe. I followed it exactly and it wasn't good. Nobody in my family would eat it. It did not have a very cheesy taste, but you could really taste the flour. What a disappointment.

Great receipe! Halved it and made it Thanksgiving Day for an early lunch. I didn't like the "look" until hubby blended it with a whisk. Then it looked as good as it tasted!

Mmm mmm good! My husband said this was better than Panera Bread's! And, though modesty forbids, I nonetheless agree. :) The only thing I did was to add about half a cup of finely shredded carrots to the roux in the very first step. Oh, and I scaled this down to six servings, which was entirely adequate for the two of us. What a great recipe!!

I used real cheese and real cream othere than that change it was sooo sooo delicious!

I scaled this down to six servings and followed it almost exactly (a little extra broccoli). It was, indeed, excellent and creamy. An earlier review had cautioned against letting it boil after adding the cheese. I didn't let it boil--just remain hot-- and it never curdled or became "grainy". Great advice.........

This is definitely the best broccoli cheese soup and it's so easy to make! I scaled it down to 6 servings and it was plenty for a family of 4 to enjoy. And I can't wait to make it for my coworkers!

This was indeed excellent soup, tasty and easy to make. I used 1% milk, slightly less butter, 1/3 cup cornstarch instead of flour, and sharp, aged cheddar in lieu of processed cheese. I doubled the broccoli (lightly steamed in the microwave before adding) and sauteed chopped shallots and a couple cloves of crushed garlic into the melting butter, as recommended by some reviewers--and I'm glad I did. Next time, I think I'll even add some steamed cauliflower. My significant other lamented that there was no meat in our soup 'n' salad meal, but two-bites-later he wasn't complaining, and happily took the leftovers for lunch. Yummy dish, and I will make it again!

Great! I changed it just like everyone else though. I had to ask my husband to try it because it's his favorite kind of soup and I had never had it so I didn't know what it was supposed to taste like. So I gave him a spoonful and he immediately ate a few more. I told him I thought it was good but didn't know what it was supposed to taste like and he said "it's supposed to taste exactly like that" followed by "that's the best I've ever had". So the recipe changes I made changed the recipe to this: (it made about 9cups) 3 1/2 Tbsp butter 3 1/2 Tbsp flour 1/4 Cup diced onion (added with butter) 2 1/2 cups of boiling water with 3 chicken bouillon cubes 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning 2 1/2 cups skim milk Touch of salt Smidge of pepper 2 1/4 cups broccoli (fresh) 6 oz cream cheese (I don't like American cheese) (cut into cubes) 1 1/4 cup cheddar (I prefer Tillamook medium) (shredded) 1/4 cup mozzarella (shredded) And then I followed the actual cooking directions here, it was great. Even my very very picky son liked it!

This soup is great; however, if you have a small family, try to divide the portions to reduce the amount of soup. Otherwise, you will end up with a full casserole of leftovers or a whole week supply. Other than that, it is a great recipe with an awesome and rich flavor.

This recipe was what I have been wanting for years. I added more cheese and cornstarch and it was perfect.

I cut the milk and broth down to 8 cups each cut the processed cheese to 1 pound, and added finely diced sauteed onion to the flour/butter rue. The flavor was fantastic! Really restaurant quality flavor, but very thin. I like my cheesy broccoli soup to be thicker. I simmered for much, much longer time AND cooled and reheated later....still too thin. I will definitely be using this recipe again...just with more rue.

Easy & fast & great reviews from my family. Converted recipe to serve 8. Fried 3 slices turkey bacon with onions in butter then added flour. This was the only change I made to the recipe and my family loved it! Will definitely make again ... tomorrow night perhaps!!!

From initially reading the recipe I felt it needed a few tweaks. I sauted an onion and several cloves of garlic in olive oil. I used fresh broccoli and also fresh spinach, steaming both of them seperately. I kept them par steamed as they cook when added to the stock. I reduced the stock, using 6 cups of water with 'Better than Bouillon' vegatable stock and 1/2 cup half and half and 1/2 cups of milk. I used sharp chedder and Swiss cheese. It's tasty!