Macaroni and Cheese Soup with Broccoli is comfort food at it’s best! It’s a classic mac turned into a kid-friendly bowl of soup.
Macaroni and Cheese Soup
Now that the weather is getting colder, we are having soup for dinner quite often. We love this easy mac and cheese soup made with sharp cheddar cheese, broccoli, vegetables and elbow macaroni. The kids love it too, a great way to get kids to get more veggies in their diet. More soup recipes we also love this time of year are Minestrone Soup and Cheeseburger Soup if you want to have some meat in your dish.
Broccoli is one of those gateway vegetables that kids start liking at an early age. I was a picky kid growing up, I remember the first time I liked broccoli it was smothered with melted cheese. Of course, as I grew up my palate changed and I explored new ways to love broccoli.
Using the same principal, this soup will please those picky palates while getting carrots, celery and broccoli in each bite.
Tips and Variations
- Cook the broccoli to your family’s liking. Adults tend to like it tender crisp, while kids may like it cooked a little more.
- Cheese– For best results use a block of cheese and grate it yourself rather. This will give you the creamiest results. Pre-grated cheeses have additives like cornstarch to prevent the cheese from sticking to each other. They also effect the outcome of cheese soups, often breaking down or having a gritty texture.
- Broccoli swap– You can swap out the broccoli for cauliflower if your kids won’t eat green food.
- Macaroni– Any small shape pasta can be used here. Try ditalini or small shells instead.
- Refrigerate and leftovers–This soup is best the same day. Leftovers can be reheated the next day, more broth may be needed as the macaroni soaks up most of the liquid. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
More Soup Recipes You Will Love
- Turkey Chili Taco Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
Macaroni and Cheese Soup with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 4 oz dry elbow pasta or small shape
- 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 cup fat free milk
- pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 2 cups about 10 oz broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
- 1-1/2 cups 2% sharp cheddar, best to grate yourself
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic by hand or mini food processor.
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt light butter. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add flour and fresh pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.
- Slowly add chicken broth, milk, nutmeg and dry mustard powder; whisking constantly.
- Set heat to medium-low and let it come to a slow boil. Cover and cook on low about 10-15 minutes.
- Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and wait until it stops boiling.
- Add cheddar cheese a little at a time, mixing well until cheese melts.
- Return the cooked elbows to the soup and mix well, adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Eat right away so the pasta doesn't absorb all the broth.
The soup is excellent. Only change is I added more broccoli.
Help, I cannot find dry mustard……..any ideas? Tia
This soup is amazing!! A new favourite for sure!
Thank you! This is the second recipe I’ve made by you and it was a winner with a picky kiddo. To anyone considering this recipe, I would suggest chopping veggies before hand to save time. You could also make the pasta day before too and heat that up before adding to soup. We prefer brothy soup so I added quite a bit more but overall my family really loved this recipe. I agree about doubling the recipe for more than 3 people. I would say this soup is hearty or thick, but it is filling, thanks to the cheese and the broccoli. I’m grateful for a recipe that had 3 veggies in it that we all loved!
Our whole family loves this recipe. It is not too heavy and jam packed with veggies. Definitely double the recipe if you have more than 3 people eating the soup.
We just tried this last night. Was really yummy! I really liked the little dash of nutmeg – that really added to the flavor!
Really enjoyed this! I was worried about the cheese getting weird based on other comments so I did a bit of research. Turns out cheese proteins break down above 150 degrees so I used my insta thermometer to check. Even after cooling 5-10 minutes it was still at 175 so I dumped it into a bowl and it cooled to 150 quickly. If you don’t have a thermometer handy, I recommend decanting to a big bowl or pot and testing when it’s still warm, but not hot. I also tossed the cheddar in 1 tsp of cornstarch as I read that helped.
Can’t wait to make this again!
This is super delicious and hearty recipe. I used frozen broccoli and added some kernel corn..Super easy recipe and great comfort food..☺️
So yummy!! I wanted broccoli and cheese soup, and once again you came through!
Had for dinner tonight and it was hubby-approved!
This was very good for a chilly day after the snow storm day.I did find that I had to add about an extra cup of water after the soup was done because it was very thick. Also, I realized that I did not have any celery so I diced up the broccoli stems and sautéed them with the onions and carrots. Since the recipe just calls for a florettes, I was happy to be able to use the rest of the broccoli as well. I kept the pasta separate and stirred that into each bowl of soup as I served it.
I made this soup and followed the directions to the letter. All the cheese curdled instead of melting and I had to throw it all away. Might want to let people know it can’t be too hot or it will be ruined.
This recipe was amazing and easy to make! Love your recipes and often recommend to my clients since I am a private practice Registered Dietitian!
Easy to make and delicious. Big hit with all the family.
It sounds like to me, if you’re not going to eat it all in one meal, that pasta should be kept separate until ready to eat. I do want to try it.
I made this tonight, both me and my husband liked it a lot. I used 1 cup shredded 2% milk Velveeta in place of the
1-1/2 cups of cheddar because a few people commented that the cheddar was not melting right, it turned out very creamy.
Family loved it!
This was the first soup I have ever made that my entire family has enjoyed! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait until I try the next menu item 🙂
I stayed true to the recipe and watched the video and it was excellent!
This was so tasty. I used broccoli and cauliflower and added whochester sauce. Easy very hearty soup.
Every recipe looks delicious. I’m on the purple option. My leader says there’s only one plan, but has three different options.
For the cheese question, I found this info: When measuring semi-hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss or mozzarella, by weight, it is generally accepted that 4 ounces yields 1 cup shredded cheese. An 8 ounce block of cheese would be 2-cups.
Hello fellow Skinnytasters!! When the recipe calls for 1.5c cheese – I bought 2-8oz Kraft cheddar cheese blocks and then proceeded to grate them. Does that mean I add 1.5 (out of 2) of those cheese blocks?? Once grated, it seemed like a TON of cheese (and though I love the sound of that, my tight pants won’t!) haha. Please advise 🙂
I think it means you shred it until you get 1 and 1/2 cups of cheese.