Creamy Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This warm, creamy and satisfying gluten free broccoli cheddar soup is just like at Panera bread, but gluten free!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch broccoli
- 4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter chopped
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 2 carrots peeled and shredded
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup basic gum free gluten free flour blend (23 grams superfine white rice flour + 8 grams potato starch + 4 grams tapioca starch/flour)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese shredded
- gluten free artisan bread as bread bowl (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the optional bread bowl.
- If you’d like to serve your soup in a bread bowl, please follow the instructions for making a loaf of our gluten free artisan bread.
- Allow the bread to cool, then use a serrated knife to carve out the center of the bread down close to the bottom crust (but without piercing it).
- Pull out as much of the center of the bread as you can without compromising the integrity of the loaf.
- Set the bread bowl aside.
Prepare the broccoli.
- Separate the broccoli florets from the stems, and rinse them clean. In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, place about 1 cup of stock and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Place the broccoli florets in the simmering stock and cook until just bright green (about 2 minutes).
- Remove the florets, place in a separate small bowl and set aside.
- Remove the stock from the heat and set it aside.
Prepare the soup.
- In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the butter and melt over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
- Sauté the vegetables until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant (about 6 minutes).
- Remove and discard the garlic.
- Add the flour blend, mix to combine and cook until the flour begins to smell nutty (about 2 minutes).
- Slowly add all of the stock (the 3 cups remaining, plus the cup used to blanch the broccoli), whisking constantly, until well-combined.
- Add the bay leaves, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens (about 8 minutes).
- Remove and discard the bay leaves, add the milk and cream, and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until beginning to thicken.
- Add the cheddar cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately with the blanched broccoli florets in a regular bowl or your bread bowl!