Smoked Gouda soup was amongst one of the best things I ate in Stowe, Vermont. I’ll admit, I went a little overboard ordering both a cheese soup and the Vermont Cheddar fritters. But you must when you’re in Vermont and besides, this girl loves her some cheese. This recipe is 100% inspired by that delicious soup. Loads of garlic, onions, and celery so the soup is definitely aromatic. Hickory smoked gouda, along with smoked paprika, makes it smoky and delicious. It’s honestly the perfect starter for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other holiday party. I found the most adorable little sourdough bread boules and used those as bread bowls, which would be adorable for a starter at a party! The key is to remove the top, push down the fluff, and toast them in a 250ºF oven or air fryer for a few minutes. Toasted bread holds its shape better. And the tops of the bread are absolutely perfect for dipping!
Ingredients for homemade smoked gouda soup:
Butter: We’ll use a knob of butter to saute the aromatics. Then, we’ll create a roux for the bechamel.Onions: add tons of flavor to this recipe. Chop them up finely and season them with salt so that we can cook them down until they’re tender and translucent.Celery Stalks: You’ll want to chop these up finely as well and season them with salt to cook them down quickly without browning or burning.Garlic: we’ll add this in when the onions are almost done so that the garlic doesn’t burn.Flour: Creates a roux with the butter that we’ll then turn into a bechamel by adding whole milk.Whole Milk: creates the sauce that we need to cook the cheese down in. This recipe starts just like a pot pie filling or any other bechamel-based soup.Chicken broth: you can use vegetable broth if you want to keep this recipe vegetarian-friendly.Seasonings: You’ll need both mustard powder and smoked paprika to help give the sop plenty of flavor! You’ll also need a couple of bay leaves!Worcestershire Sauce: Adds saltiness and an umami flavor to the soup that pairs beautifully with the smoked gouda. If you’re preparing this for vegetarians, be sure to swap this with vegetarian-friendly Worcestershire!Smoked Gouda Cheese: I like to use a hickory smoked gouda. Just shred the cheese on a box grater before you add it to the soup. Or, to cut down on prep time, just run the block of cheese through a food processor.Chives: just adds a little color to the top of the soup! Feel free to use toasted croutons or anything else you’d like as well.
How to make cozy smoked gouda soup:
If you liked this recipe, you might also like:
Secret Ingredient Tomato Basil SoupRoasted Honeynut Squash SoupKeto Broccoli Cheese SoupHomemade Minestrone SoupCheesy Bean and Rice Enchilada Soup
Texture: Unlike most pureed cheese soups, this one definitely has a bit of texture from the onions and celery. If you’re someone that wants a super smooth cheese soup, I suggest using an immersion blender and blending the soup once you’ve added the chicken broth and the seasonings. Make sure to do this before adding the cheese!Variations: I know a lot of smoked gouda soups usually also contain roasted red peppers. If you enjoy that, you can easily add chopped roasted red peppers in with the onions and celery.
