This Broccoli and Blue Cheese soup is a creamy, comforting soup with a just a bite of blue cheese that adds a certain "je ne sais quoi" to the dish. Simple enough to be made on a week night, but special enough to serve at a delicious lunch or dinner party.
I first made this recipe back in 2015 for my husband after reading about a similar soup in the late, great Chef Paul Bocuse's French Recipe book "365 Recettes des Terroirs de France", or 365 recipes from the gastronomic regions of France. This soup is particularly popular in the Auverge region of France, where blue cheese originates from.
The taste is rich and decadent with a subtle tanginess from the blue cheese that is so satisfying. In honor of the Bocuse D'Or Competition that takes place in Lyon January 22-23 2023 I thought I would share this recipe for the Soup Sunday Challenge.
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This soup is featured on Week 3 of the 2023 Soup Sunday Challenge.
Other recipes from the Challenge you will enjoy:
Week One: Magical Leek Soup
Week Two: La Poule au Pot - the easiest way to cook a whole chicken
A soup recipe is published every week - come join us!
Share your soup recipes using #soupsundaychallenge on instagram
Ingredients
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Blue Cheese such as Roquefort. Stilton Cheese or Gorgonzola also work very well.
- Water
- Cream
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This Soup is very simple to make! Within a half hour you can have a sophisticated starter for a dinner party or a delicious, comforting lunch.
Wash the broccoli, cut off the stalks and separate into florets. Peel the potatoes and chop into large chunks. Peel and chop the garlic and onion into large pieces. This is your "Mise en place" or preparation.
Turn the heat on to medium. In your stockpot heat your olive oil then add the garlic and onions. Allow to sautée, being careful not to burn. Add in the broccoli and potatoes as well as 8 cups of water and the salt. Allow to simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes are soft and break apart easily.
Mix well with an immersion blender. Then add in the cream. Just before serving, add the blue cheese in little chunks. Stir so that it blends in with the soup, leaving a little on the side to add as a garnish.
Serve immediately into soup bowls. Top with a few pieces of crumbled blue cheese and a drizzle of cream. Bon appétit!
Le Chef's Wife Tip: Make sure not to add too much liquid to the soup! Start with less - you can always add more if needed when mixing. The Broccoli takes up a lot of space in the pot so you don't need to fully cover with water - it will reduce in size as it cooks down.
Broccoli and Stilton Soup
The popular version of Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup is to use Stilton, a British Blue Cheese. You can also choose to use Gorgonzola, a very creamy, Italian blue cheese that adds an extra decadence to the dish. My favorite is Roquefort because I love the taste of sharp blue cheese, but you can choose to use the cheese you prefer and that is easiest to find.
Variations
Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup
I once made this recipe using half cauliflower and half broccoli. It was absolutely delicious as well! If you want to have less of a broccoli flavor I recommend using one head of broccoli and one head of cauliflower in the recipe.
Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Substitute the blue cheese with 1.5 cups of grated cheddar cheese for a rich, cheesy soup, without the bite.
Le Chef's Wife Tips:
- Do not add too much salt to this recipe! Blue Cheese is very salty and not much additional salt is needed.
- Be very careful not to add too much water. Less is more to get that desired consistency that stays on your spoon. You can always add more water at the end
- Add in the blue cheese at the very end and gently stir in. It will melt into the soup beautifully.
- Save a little cheese and cream to garnish the soup when you serve - it makes for a lovely presentation.
What to serve with Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup
Fresh Baked Baguette is perfect with this soup. Tearing into a Fresh Baked Baguette and dipping it into the soup will make you feel like you are seated at a French Bistro. Oh la la!
French Dinner Party Menu
If you are making a French menu for guests I recommend starting with the Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup, followed by Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken and concluding with a chocolate mousse. All of these recipes can be made in advance for a stress-free, French Themed dinner party.
FAQS
It should be thick enough to coat your spoon yet still spoonable and smooth - never watery. Start with less water and adjust after blending so you keep that lovely body
It's a rich, velvety soup where tender broccoli and silky potatoes become a creamy canvas for the tangy bite of blue cheese. It's comforting enough for weeknight lunch yet elegant enough for guests.
Au plaisir,
Le Chef's Wife
About Le Chef's Wife
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
I share our home cooking on Instagram, pinterest and tiktok. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive my new recipes and have advance access to cooking classes. I look forward to cooking with you!
Print
Best Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: soup
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: french
Description
This Broccoli and Blue Cheese soup is a creamy, comforting soup with a just a bite of blue cheese that adds a certain "je ne sais quoi" to the dish. Simple enough to be made on a week night, but special enough to serve for a dinner party.
Ingredients
-
- 2 lbs Broccoli (about 2 large crowns
-
- 1 lb Potatoes (Golden or Yukon work best)
- 1 yellow Onion
-
- 3.5 oz (100 grams) Blue Cheese such as Roquefort. Stilton Cheese or Gorgonzola also work very well.
-
- 8 cups water (always add less at first and adjust if needed!)
-
- ½ cup Cream (heavy whipping cream - the good stuff!)
-
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
-
- Olive Oil
-
- Salt
Instructions
- Wash the broccoli, cut off the stalks (discard) and separate into florets.
- Peel the potatoes and chop into large chunks.
- Peel and chop the garlic and onion into large pieces. This is your "Mise en place" or preparation.
- Turn the heat on to medium.
- In your stockpot, heat your olive oil then add the garlic and onions.
- Allow to sautée, being careful not to burn.
- Add in the broccoli and potatoes as well as 8 cups of water and the salt.
- Allow to simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes are soft and break apart easily.
- Mix well with an immersion blender.
- Then add in the cream. Blend again.
- Finally gently stir in the blue cheese in little chunks.
- Stir so that it blends in with the soup, leaving a little blue cheese on the side to add as a garnish when serving.
- Serve with a few crumbles of blue cheese on top and a light drizzle of cream.
- Bon Appétit!
Notes
1. Do not add too much salt to this recipe! Blue Cheese is very salty and not much additional salt is needed.
2. Be very careful not to add too much water. Less is more to get that desired consistency that stays on your spoon. You can always add more water at the end
3. Add in the blue cheese at the very end and gently stir in. It will melt into the soup beautifully.
4. Save a little cheese and cream to garnish the soup when you serve - it makes for a lovely presentation.
Patrick john says
"So delicious!" This Broccoli & Blue Cheese Soup is the ideal balance of creamy comfort and robust taste, featuring delicate broccoli, silky potatoes, and just enough blue cheese tang to make it unforgettable. Thank you for the recipe!
Gin K says
Can you make without potatoes and do you think carrots would pair well with this?
Anina Belle Giannini says
Hi, Yes, you can make it without potatoes but I would recommend adding a starch for consistency - white beans would work very well!
Martha says
This recipe was amazing!!! Thank for adding another great soup to my rotation.
lechefswife says
Thank you so much Martha for taking the time to make my recipe and leave a comment! I really appreciate it! I am so glad you enjoy the recipe. Bonne Journée, Anina Belle
Suzanne says
Adding Blue Cheese is brilliant!
lechefswife says
So glad you enjoy the recipe! Merci beaucoup