Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've been on a quest for the perfect broccoli cheese soup.. I think I've found it! The original recipe is from the Pioneer Woman but I modified it a little. It's packed with veggies and uses creamy Velveeta. I've tried it with cheddar cheese but wasn't happy with the texture. I've tried it with fresh veggies and frozen.. both are wonderful. You can leave the veggies chunky, purée all of it, or purée some of it like I do. The possibilities are endless!

1 stick butter
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c carrot, chopped
1/3 c flour
4 c milk
2 c half & half
dash nutmeg
black pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
1 large crown of broccoli, chopped or 1 bag frozen, chopped
16 oz Velveeta cheese, cut into small pieces


Melt butter in a large stockpot. Add onion, celery and carrots and sauté about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook one minute. Slowly stir in milk and half & half, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli. Bring to simmer and cook on low 20-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Grab two mixing bowls and scoop about 4 cups of soup into each bowl. This will leave a couple of cups of chunky veggie soup in the pot. Use a blender to puree the smaller portions of soup to desired consistency and add it back to the pot. Stir in the Velveeta cheese until melted. Salt to taste. Serves 6 plus leftovers. Enjoy!