Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Jack Soup

I’m a huge fan of broccoli cheese soup, especially when pepper jack cheese is involved! I streamlined my old stove-top method to speed up the process using my Instant Pot to do most of the work, then I stir in copious amounts of shredded cheese, and a quick roux made on the stovetop to thicken the soup up.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 6 quart instant pot https://amzn.to/33rIs7L

• cheese grater https://amzn.to/3l81JBp

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Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Jack Soup

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 cups diced onions

• 1 cup diced celery

• 1 cup shredded carrots

• 4 cups bite-size broccoli florets

• 3 cups chicken stock (try my homemade)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups whole milk

• 12 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded

• 1 teaspoon dijon or spicy brown mustard

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Using the “sauté” function, place the butter and onions in the inner pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Add the celery and carrots and sauté for another couple of minutes, stirring frequently; press “cancel” on the instant pot to stop the sautéing process.

3. Add the broccoli florets and chicken stock to the inner pot and cover with lid (locked and vent set to “sealing”); press the “manual” or “pressure” button and select a cook time of 1 minute.

4. Manually release the pressure from the instant pot.

5. On the stovetop over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet or 2-quart saucepan, then add 4 tablespoons of flour and whisk together until no dry flour remains; continue whisking for 3 or 4 minutes.

6. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter/flour mixture and continue whisking until the mixture reaches a full boil and thickens; remove from heat.

7. Pour the butter/flour/milk mixture into the instant pot; add the shredded cheese and mustard and stir until the cheese is completely melted.

8. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed.

Maine Seafood Chowder

Maine seafood chowder. You might be thinking, “what’s Maine seafood chowder?” In short, it’s a brothier version of the more traditional New England-style chowder, which is often thickened with flour. This chowder starts with a flavorful shrimp stock, but instead of being thickened with flour, it’s thickened with a heavy cream reduction. Chock full of tender shrimp and bay scallops, this luxurious soup is guaranteed to please the seafood lovers in your life.

Start by carefully cooking the shrimp until it’s just barely cooked through. Here I’m using shrimp that still have their shells, but you can use peeled shrimp if that’s what you have. I like to cook them in the oven, like this.

When the shrimp are cool enough to handle, remove the shells/tails and cut the shrimp into bite-size pieces; set aside.

Freeze the shells/tails to make shrimp stock at a later time.

In a large dutch oven or braiser (I use one like this), sauté the bacon until it starts to render some of its fat, then add the leeks and potatoes to the bacon and continue sautéing for about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp stock and bring to a boil; cook until the potatoes are tender, then turn off the burner.

In a large skillet, cook the bay scallops in butter just until they’re barely cooked through. Be careful not overcook the scallops or they’ll turn rubbery.

Add the cream, reserved shrimp, and any juices that may have collected on the roasting pan.

Add the parsley and cayenne; stir well and heat until the cream starts to bubble.

Skim the shrimp and scallops from the cream and set aside while the cream reduces.

Allow the cream to boil until it reduces in volume and thickens.

Add the thickened cream to the shrimp stock.

Stir in the reserved shrimp, scallops, and optional dry sherry. Stir well to combine.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• enameled cast iron 5-quart braiser https://amzn.to/2LjLPmw

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3uUfITF

• fine mesh skimmer https://amzn.to/2PCv86z

• santoku knife https://amzn.to/2rA6x8X

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Maine Seafood Chowder

makes 12 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 ounces bacon, cut into bite-size piece

• 4 cups sliced leeks, rinsed well

• 1.5 pounds red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice

• 8 cups shrimp stock (here’s my recipe)

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 2 pounds medium size shrimp (25-30 count), cooked and cut into thirds

• 1 pound bay scallops, fresh or thawed

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• kosher salt and pepper to taste

• 1-2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)

Directions

1. Cook shrimp until just barely done (directions here).

2. When the shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel if necessary and cut into thirds; set aside. (freeze shrimp shells/tails to make shrimp stock at a later time)

3. In a large dutch oven or braiser (I use one like this), sauté the bacon until it starts to render some of its fat, then add the leeks and potatoes to the bacon and continue sautéing for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the shrimp stock and bring to a boil; cook until the potatoes are tender, then turn off the heat.

5. In a large skillet, cook the bay scallops in butter just until they’re barely cooked through.

6. Add the cream and reserved shrimp to the skillet, along with any juices that collected in the baking pan.

7. Add the parsley and cayenne pepper and heat just until the cream starts to bubble around the edges of the pan.

8. Skim the shrimp and bay scallops from the cream; set aside.

9. Allow the cream to bubble away until it reduces a bit and thickens.

10. Pour the reduced cream into the shrimp stock and add the reserved shrimp and scallops; stir well and serve.