Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I have lots of childhood memories... 

I have a few childhood FOOD memories! One of them is TGI Fridays and their Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I remember having Mother Daughter lunches at the Glenview, Chicago location. I loved their Broccoli Cheddar soup. 

Since those days I have come to find only a handful of Broccoli Cheddar soups that compare (or even come close) to my memories of TGI Fridays (in the 80's and early 90's). The soup is not the same as it was back then. They have changed something... 

I have never made taken the time to make my own Broccoli Cheddar soup, until now. 

Our CSA farmer, had extra vegetables to purchase last week, so I purchased 3 heads of Broccoli, 2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, 2 3/4 lb spaghetti squash and 1/2 bushel sweet potatoes. I froze the Brussels in serving size packages and stored the sweet potatoes outside. 

I was going to freeze the Broccoli but the process was just too long and I was not willing to (waste the time) do it. 

Instead, I attempted making Broccoli Cheddar soup for the first time. 

It came out great. Topped it with RAW Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese.


I used Almond Milk and Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt. I think the only thing I will change next time is add one more Chobani Yogurt to add a little more creaminess. The soup was still AMAZING...  Took me back to my TGI Fridays soup memory. 


The Ingredients:
6-8 cups raw broccoli, florets and stalk, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
3 cups vegetable broth (salted)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup Chobani, plain
3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, rough chop (skin on)
1 cup parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup almond milk, plain flavor
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


The Directions:


In your soup pot, saute over med-high heat: 2 Tbsp of your olive oil with the shallot, onion and jalapeno. When cooked lightly, add in lemon juice, veggie broth, remaining oil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Add Potatoes and bring broth to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender.


Add chopped Broccoli (florets and steams). Remember to leave out a few florets for later use though.Cover with lid, when broccoli is tender, turn heat off.



Transfer contents of pot into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool slightly. Add to the bowl the fresh parsley, Chobani and almond milk. Fold new ingredients into the hot soup mixture.
In batches, puree the soup in a food-processor (maybe someday soon, a Vitamix!) style blender. Soup should be smooth-no lumps or chunks. In the soup pot, add the broccoli florets, a dash of veggie broth and saute covered for about a minute until tender. Add the pureed soup back into the soup pot. Add a bay leaf and a few pinches of chopped basil (optional). Simmer uncovered for at least twenty minutes to cook out all the air bubbles. Stir constantly for the first few minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving or storing.

Serve with a garnish of 1 tsp Chobani drops, a pinch of fresh parsley, a basil leaf and of course some shreds of cheddar cheese.