Name: Broccoli-cheddar soup with white-bean toast
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 bowls with 2 toasts each
Ingredients: 4 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 onion, chopped; 1/2 tsp fine salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups whole milk; 2 cups vegetable broth; 3 cups chopped broccoli florets; 1 large carrot, finely chopped; 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard; 1/4 tsp smoked paprika; 8 oz vegetarian cheddar, freshly shredded; 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 8 slices bread

Broccoli-cheddar soup with white-bean toast

Smoked paprika gives the broccoli-cheddar soup a warm finish, with white beans spread over crisp toast.

Published October 2, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026

4 bowls with 2 toasts each · Estimated 1 hour

Broccoli-cheddar soup with white-bean toast

Ingredients & method

Before you start: Prepare: 20 minutes · Cook soup: 30 minutes · Make toasts: 10 minutes

Equipment: 4-quart pot; toaster; small saucepan for bean topping

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Method

Chop the onion and 3 garlic cloves, cut the broccoli into small florets to measure 3 cups, and finely chop the large carrot. Freshly shred the 8 oz vegetarian cheddar and keep it ready for the final stage; drain and rinse the 15 oz can of cannellini beans for the toast topping.
Melt the 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion, 1/2 tsp fine salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until the onion softens, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Sprinkle in the 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and stir continuously for 1 minute, coating the onion and scraping along the bottom of the pot. Gradually whisk in the 2 cups whole milk, adding it in stages and whisking out lumps before adding more.
Stir in the 2 cups vegetable broth, broccoli, carrot, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat as needed to keep it from boiling hard.
Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly along the bottom, until the broccoli and carrot are tender. The soup should thicken while the vegetables cook; check the carrot pieces as well as the broccoli before adding the cheese.
Reduce the heat to very low. Add the shredded cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding the next; do not let the soup boil after the cheese goes in.
Mash the drained cannellini beans with the 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a small saucepan. Break down enough beans to make a spread while leaving some texture.
Warm the bean mash over low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring to heat it evenly. Toast the 8 slices of bread, then divide the warm bean spread over all eight slices.
Stir the soup once more to distribute the vegetables and ladle it into four bowls. Serve two bean toasts with each bowl while the cheese soup is warm and smooth.

Make the smooth base before adding the cheese

The flour is stirred into the butter-softened onion before the milk goes in. Add the milk gradually and whisk each addition smooth so you can see and break up flour pockets while the mixture is still manageable. Once the broth and vegetables are added, stir across the bottom as well as around the sides of the pot.

Check a carrot piece before finishing the soup. Small broccoli florets can appear tender before a larger carrot piece is ready. The vegetable simmer is the opportunity to finish both; adding cheese first would leave you choosing between undercooked carrots and excessive heat on the cheese.

Finish soup and toasts together

Keep the heat very low for the freshly shredded cheddar and add it in handfuls. Wait for each addition to melt before the next, and avoid a boil at this stage. You are looking for cheese distributed through the thick soup, not separate melted clumps.

Warm the lemony cannellini mash while the soup finishes, then spread it over the eight toasts. Serve two per bowl and keep them alongside the soup until eating so the bread's edges stay crisp.