Broccoli Cheese Pierogi Soup

Today is all about the comfort food.  And in the frigid North, there’s nothing more comforting than soup.  This recipe takes my favorite cheddar broccoli soup to the next level with the addition of pierogi!

Ugh - so good!  It makes the soup just a little bit more filling and even more delicious!  Plus, the recipe is still meatless and perfect for a meatless Monday!

Feel free to skip to the recipe, unless you want story time.  So storytime…

I had this recipe on the menu last year during Lent.  I had everything bought and I was ready to make the recipe.  Then, I came down with what was likely the flu (I’ve mentioned this illness once before with my Mini Pumpkin Pies with Cinnamon Swirl Crust.)

You guys.  I was so sick, I could not get off the couch to make this soup.  Hubs is perfectly capable of cooking, but I love to cook and work part time so I always do it.  But this time, I simply had to ask Hubs to step in and make dinner.  Any other day of the week, I would’ve saved the soup for another day, but on a Friday in Lent (no meat for us Catholics and a couple of us who don’t eat fish), makes it much harder to pivot meals.

The problem was, I had a recipe, but I knew (before I was sick) that it was one that I would probably have adjusted to my own knowledge/preferences as I worked my way through the recipe.  But instead, from the upstairs couch, I told Hubs to open the tab on my computer, find the ingredients and go.

Unfortunately, the ingredient list didn’t fully match the instructions (I get it, mistakes happen) and additionally, there’s no way the ingredients listed would have made the thick, cheesy soup seen in the photo.

Despite the cards stacked against him, Hubs made a great soup for dinner, but I knew that it could be more.  I didn’t remake it right away, but waited until winter and soup weather again for this one to have its second chance, this the cheddar broccoli soup base this time, with the added pierogi.

Sunday Funday

Comfort Food

• Sneha's Recipe: Baked Vegetables Pasta Less Lasagna 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Broccoli Cheese Pierogi Soup 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Roast Pork Loin with Cherry Sauce 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: BBQ Glazed Meatloaf with Sweet Potatoes and Pearl Onions 
• Food Lust People Love: Lemony Spring Vegetable Chicken Soup 
• Culinary Cam: Comforting Beef Stroganoff

Broccoli Cheese Pierogi Soup

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 large carrots, shredded

¼ cup flour

1 quart (4 cups) chicken or vegetable broth

3 cups milk (I used 2%)

2 large crowns broccoli, cut into florets (about 1 ½ pounds)

32 ounces frozen potato & cheddar pierogi

12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated

Salt & pepper

In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat.  Sauté the carrots and onions for 5 minutes, until they are tender.  

Add the remaining butter and stir until melted.  Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly whisk in the broth, allowing the mixture to thicken.  Add the broccoli and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the milk and heat through.  Then add the pierogi and cook for another 10 minutes (without boiling) to heat through.  

Finally, add the cheese and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste then serve.

Serves 6-8