Enjoy a budget-friendly deli-style meal with this Broccoli Cheese Soup and Hot Turkey Club Panini combo. Creamy cheddar cheese soup with broccoli paired with a crunchy turkey panini with tomatoes, cheese, beef bacon, and crisp Romaine.
The perfect budget-friendly, deli-style meal!
This Broccoli Cheese Soup with Hot Turkey Club Panini is the perfect meal for cooler weather when you need a soothing, creamy soup to warm up with and a hearty sandwich to sustain you.
In autumn and winter, Broccoli Cheese Soup really hits the spot after coming indoors from raking leaves or shoveling snow. It’s certainly a crowd-pleaser too; my family absolutely loved it!
The Broccoli Cheese soup goes so well with the Turkey Club Panini. You can optionally serve this with chips if you want, but I doubt you will need much more because the pair are so satisfying on their own!
Tips for creamy Cheddar Cheese Soup:
I suggest using an immersion blender to get the soup smooth for sipping. You can also use a Vitamix or other high-powered blender. Just make sure you handle the hot soup carefully and put a kitchen/tea towel over the top so soup doesn’t potentially spill out the top – safety first!
Here are the ingredients for this delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup with Turkey Club Panini:
Broccoli Cheese Soup:
- 2 tablespoons regular olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons (2 cloves) minced garlic
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup whole milk (you can substitute heavy cream or half and half if you want a heavier soup)
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 4 cups broccoli, washed, cut into florets
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) regular cream cheese
- Optional toppings, for serving: bacon bits, fresh chopped parsley, fresh ground black pepper
Turkey Club Panini:
- 2 slices hearty white bread
- 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 slices beef or regular bacon
- 4 slices muenster cheese or similar cheese
- 2-4 slices turkey breast
- 2 Romaine lettuce leaves, washed, pat dry
- 1-2 green or regular tomatoes, washed, sliced
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- large soup pot
- ladle for serving soup
- soup bowls and plates
- cutting board
- chef’s knife
- colander, for washing vegetables
- rimmed baking sheet, for baking bacon
- baking rack fitted into the rimmed baking sheet, for baking bacon
- panini press
- pastry brush, for brushing melted butter on to the bread for the panini
- bread or serrated knife, for slicing the panini
- toothpicks for serving the sandwiches
I use green tomatoes for this Turkey Club Panini because it’s fun to change things up a bit. You can find heirloom tomatoes that are green when ripe (they come in other colors too) which make for a fresh take on a classic turkey club sandwich.
I opted for beef bacon as opposed to pork bacon – either is fine for this recipe. For the cheese, I chose Muenster cheese in this panini recipe because it is a medium cheese which gets nice and melt-y in a panini sandwich. You can certainly substitute the same amount with another type of your favorite sandwich cheese.
The soup broth in this Broccoli Cheese Soup is based on my Homemade Carrot Ginger Soup recipe on my blog.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp regular olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp (2 cloves) minced garlic
- 2 cup water
- 2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup whole milk (you can substitute heavy cream or half and half, if you want a heavier soup)
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 4 cup broccoli, washed, cut into florets
- 1 1/2 cup (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cup (6 ounces) regular cream cheese, room temperature
- Optional toppings, for serving: Bacon Bits, Fresh Chopped Parsley, Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 slices hearty white bread
- 1-2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 slices beef or regular bacon, cooked
- 4 slices Muenster cheese or similar cheese
- 2-4 slices turkey breast
- 2 Romaine lettuce leaves, washed, pat dry
- 1-2 green or regular tomatoes, washed, sliced
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, minced garlic, chopped yellow onions, and celery. Sauté until the onions are translucent and tender, stirring to combine and cook evenly. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth and 1 cup whole milk. Add 4 cups broccoli florets, stir to combine.
- Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to combine. Make sure not to stir too fast, so that it does not seize. Add the cream cheese as well, stirring to combine occasionally until melted and combined.
- Remove from heat, once the cheese is melted and combined.
- Using a immersion blender, blend the broccoli until it is puréed. Use a wire whisk to stir before serving. Serve topped with optional toppings.
- Turn on your panini press to medium-high heat.
- On a plate, arrange 2 slices of hearty white bread. Add sliced Muenster (or similar) cheese, sliced turkey meat, tomato slices, lettuce, cooked bacon. Brush the bread (on both sides) with melted butter, place in the panini press. Take out of the panini press when the bread is toasted to your liking and the cheese is melted. Slice the sandwich in half.
- Enjoy with the Broccoli Cheese Soup!
Notes
Home Chef Tip: I suggest using an immersion blender to get the soup smooth for sipping. You can also use a Vitamix or other high-powered blender – just make sure you handle the hot soup carefully and put a kitchen/tea towel over the top so soup doesn’t potentially spill out the top – safety first! The Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe alone makes about 6 servings.
We hope you enjoy this Broccoli Cheese Soup with Turkey Club Panini from SoFabFood Home Chef, Sara from Life’s Little Sweets. If you love this deli-style combo, be sure to visit our Lunch Section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
