What are the Best Cheeses for Easy Cheese Soup Recipes?
There’s nothing nicer than a warming soup in the cold weather – apart from if it also contains cheese. I should warn you, I’m a cheese fanatic I’ve met very few cheeses I don’t like! And adding them to soup brings that whole taste sensation to the goodness of the dish. But there are some best practices (we won’t call them rules, sounds boring) around using the best cheeses for easy cheese soup recipes. Want to know more?
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How to choose your cheese
Whether you decide to use cheese as a main ingredient or simply as a garnish, there’s a bit of thought needed to choose your cheese. Not all cheeses work well in soups – sometimes it because of their texture, how well they melt or just their taste.
So which are the best cheeses for easy cheese soup recipes? These are a few examples:
1. Parmesan
Properly called Parmigiano-Reggiano, this is the top cheese for soups (or many other things, I love it melted on potatoes!) It adds a slight saltiness to the flavour and is very rich but doesn’t go gooey or stringy. You can even add the rind to your soup although I would prefer that if it was a creamed soup.
2. Gruyere
Gruyere became soup famous for the part it plays in French Onion soup but that’s just the start. It has a nutty, earthy and almost a little sweet flavour and works well with vegetable soups and similar, earthy recipes. Watch how much you use as it is a gooey one when it melts!
3. Cheddar
If you raid the cheese box in our house, you will always find cheddar in it. This is such a versatile cheese and there are different colours and strengths. We normally use a mature but not extra mature one so there’s plenty of taste but not too strong. It is used in soups from cream of mushroom style soups to shredded chicken Mexican soups. It melts well and makes for a smooth and rich soup.
4. Queso Fresco or Halloumi
Here in the UK, queso fresco isn’t something we know so well but basically, it means a fresh cheese that doesn’t have a rind. It softens in soup but doesn’t completely melt. A similar style of cheese is halloumi which goes a bit stringy but doesn’t entirely melt.
5. Manchego
Manchego is a Spanish cheese that has a salty and buttery flavour but isn’t too strong. It is an ideal cheese to garnish with, being grated over vegetable soups or also ones that contain meats like sausage.
How to avoid lumpy soups
Some soup recipes are born to be lumpy – vegetable soup is a classic example. But there are times when you don’t want lumps, or you don’t want lumps of cheese, anyway. Cheese can be prone to lumping so is there anything you can do to avoid this?
Choosing the right cheese for cooking is one of the tips. Examples above show some cheeses that will melt politely into the mix while others get gooey. It is also a good idea to grate the cheese where possible as the smaller bits will melt easier than lumps or pieces of cheese.
Watch your temperature when cooking cheese soup recipes. Anything over 150F or 65C can make the cheese dry out and this makes it harder to melt. Try a lower heat setting when adding the cheese until it is melted.
Finally, if you have a cheese prone to lumps but you really want to use it, sprinkle it on top at the end of cooking or even when serving. Then it doesn’t matter!
Famous types of cheese soups
There are quite a few famous cheese soups or soups with cheese from around the world. Some have cheese front and centre of the recipe while others feature it to add to the other ingredients.
- Blue cheese soup – this is an Irish dish that uses blue cheese such as Stilton
- Broccoli & cheese soup – often this pairs the vegetable with Stilton but broccoli and cheddar is a tasty variation
- Caldo de queso – Sonoran cheese soup
- Cheddar soup – usually made with white cheddar
- Churu – Tibetan soup made with mould-ripened Churu cheese or sometimes with a blue cheese
- Cottage cheese soup – made with cottage cheese
- Mote de queso – Colombian cheese soup chowder made with yam and cheese
- Mozzarella soup – made with the classic pizza cheese
- Nacho cheese soup – made with the same kinds of cheese used to make cheesy nachos
Easy cheese soup recipes
Beer Cheese Soup
This is one where that tip about cooking longer on a lower temperature applies to get the perfect, smooth and lump-free soup.
Ingredients
- 6 T. unsalted butter
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ c. all-purpose flour
- 3 c. chicken or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 c. heavy (double) cream
- 4 oz. goat cheese, cut into chunks and softened
- 16 oz. sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for serving
- 2 t. Dijon mustard
- 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
- 8 oz. mild-flavoured beer
- ¼ c. chopped red onion, soaked in water (optional)
Instructions
Add unsalted butter to a Dutch oven (or a deep pan with a lid) over medium heat. Once melted, add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
Add flour and stir until completely incorporated. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chicken stock and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer uncovered for approximately 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove from heat and blend mixture with an immersion blender until smooth, if you have one. If not, transfer the liquid to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Work in batches if necessary.
Once smooth, return mixture to the Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream, goat cheese, and half the cheddar cheese. Stir continually until cheese is completely melted. Add the remaining cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beer and stir until blended. If soup is too thick at this point, add a little additional chicken or vegetable stock. Continuing simmering on medium-low heat another 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.
Serve immediately with soft pretzel rolls or crusty bread of your choice. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, red onion and/or popcorn.
Notes
Take a “low and slow” approach while preparing this recipe. Most importantly, don’t allow the soup to boil after adding the cheese because it will cause it to separate.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 992Total Fat: 75gSaturated Fat: 40gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 266mgSodium: 1302mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 58g
Warming and tasty
Soups made with cheese are warming and tasty. There are lots of different ideas and you can also experiment with a favourite cheese or a stronger variation if you love the taste. And you get to enjoy cheese, so that’s always a good thing.
What’s your favourite cheese? And do you have a cheese soup recipe that you love? Pop it in the comments!!
More soups made with cheese
Want some more inspiration for soup recipes that use different cheeses? Check these out!
Broccoli and Cheddar Soupmaker Soup
Grab your soupmaker and make this ever-popular version of the classic broccoli and stilton
Creamy Cauliflower and Goats Cheese Soup
Enjoy the tanginess of goats cheese with the goodness of cauliflower in this easy to make soup recipe
Easy Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
Try making this delicious and filling Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup for a lunch meal that will keep you full until dinner!
