Broccoli cheese soup is a delicious and comforting soup that is popular in many households. It’s creamy, cheesy, and full of nutritious broccoli florets. However, it’s easy to oversalt this soup, making it too salty to enjoy. Luckily, there are several methods you can use to reduce the saltiness of broccoli cheese soup and rescue an over-salted batch.
How Can You Tell if Broccoli Cheese Soup is Too Salty?
Here are some signs that your broccoli cheese soup has become too salty:
– It has a strong salty flavor that overpowers the other ingredients
– It makes you thirsty after eating even a small amount
– It has a grainy, gritty texture from all the salt
– It’s unpleasant to eat and you have to force yourself to swallow it
If your broccoli cheese soup displays any of these characteristics, it’s likely oversalted and needs to be fixed. Tasting the soup as you cook is the best way to monitor the seasoning and prevent over-salting.
Why Does Broccoli Cheese Soup Become Too Salty Easily?
There are a few reasons why broccoli cheese soup can easily become overly salty:
- Cheese – The cheese used in the soup contains a good amount of salt. Broccoli cheese soups often call for cheddar, Parmesan, Monterey Jack or other salty cheeses.
- Broth or cream – Store-bought broth and cream often contain a lot of added sodium. Making the soup with homemade or low-sodium versions can help.
- Bacon – Many recipes include bacon, which adds a smoky, salty flavor. Omitting bacon or cutting back on the amount can reduce saltiness.
- Overseasoning – It’s easy to get heavy-handed with the salt shaker when seasoning the soup to taste.
- Salt-rich thickeners – Flour and cornstarch thicken the soup, but also add small amounts of sodium.
All of these sources of salt can quickly add up and make your broccoli cheese soup unpalatably salty. Being mindful of them as you prepare the soup can help prevent over-salting.
How to Fix an Overly Salty Broccoli Cheese Soup
If your broccoli cheese soup has already been made too salty, don’t worry. Here are some effective methods to reduce or counteract the excessive salt:
Add More Liquid
Thinning out the soup is one of the quickest ways to lower the salt concentration. Stir in extra milk, cream or broth until the saltiness is diluted to your taste.
Be careful not to over-thin the soup. You want to maintain a nice, creamy texture. Go slowly and add small amounts of liquid at a time until the desired salt level is reached.
Add Starchy Vegetables
Starchy vegetables like potatoes and carrots can help absorb some of the excess salt in broccoli cheese soup.
Peel and dice 1-2 potatoes or carrots. Add them to the soup pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender. The starch in the veggies will help pull out the salty flavor.
This method works best if you have time to let the soup simmer. The longer the veggies cook, the more salt they will absorb.
Add Acid
A splash of vinegar or lemon juice can help balance out salty flavors. The acidity helps neutralize the salt.
Try stirring in 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Then taste the soup and add more if needed. The vinegar flavor should not be overwhelming, just enough to curb the saltiness.
Add Raw Potato
Using raw potato is one of the most powerful ways to remove excess salt. Peel and grate 1-2 washed potatoes. Add the grated potato to the soup pot and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
The raw potato will draw in a significant amount of the sodium as it cooks. For best results, let the soup cool fully after cooking with the potato to give it plenty of time to absorb the salt.
Add Unflavored Gelatin
Sprinkling some unflavored gelatin into overly salty soup can help absorb salt. Gelatin is highly absorbent and has a neutral taste.
Dissolve about 1 teaspoon of gelatin in a little cold water first. Then stir it into the hot soup until dissolved. Let the soup cool completely to allow the gelatin to pull in saltiness. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more if needed.
Adjust Other Seasonings
If the soup still tastes too salty after diluting and absorbing, try adding other ingredients to mask the flavor:
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- Splash of hot sauce
- Minced garlic or garlic powder
- Chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil, oregano
- Touch of sugar
Layering on other seasonings can counteract and balance the salty taste. Just go slowly and adjust in small increments until the unwanted saltiness fades.
Start Over with a Smaller Batch
If you just can’t seem to fix an extremely salty soup, it may be easiest to start over. Toss the over-salted batch and make a fresh smaller one.
Use half the amount of cheese and broth. Omit bacon if used. And be very careful with seasoning, tasting continuously. You can always add more salt later if needed.
Making a smaller test batch gives you better control over the seasoning and prevents wasting ingredients.
Tips to Prevent Over-Salting Broccoli Cheese Soup
Now that you know how to deal with overly salty broccoli cheese soup, here are some tips to avoid over-salting it in the first place:
Use Low-Sodium Ingredients
– Make your own broth using fresh ingredients and no added salt.
– Choose low-sodium or unsalted cheeses.
– Use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
– Leave out canned cream soups and evaporated milk which are high in sodium.
Cut Back on Bacon
Bacon adds a ton of smoky saltiness. Use half the amount of bacon called for, or leave it out completely.
Reduce Added Salt
Avoid adding table salt until after the soup is cooked. Many of the ingredients likely already contain enough sodium. Taste the finished soup before reaching for the salt shaker.
Balance Salty Ingredients with Acid
Brighten the soup’s flavor with a squeeze of lemon juice or splash of vinegar to balance the salt. Let natural acids cut through the sodium.
Thicken with Unseasoned Starches
Use fresh flour or cornstarch instead of commercially made thickeners which have added salt. Or puree some of the cooked broccoli into the soup to thicken it instead.
Taste Frequently While Cooking
It’s easy to keep adding salty ingredients without realizing how it accumulates. Taste the soup every 5-10 minutes as you cook and adjust seasoning gradually.
Sample Recipe for Light Broccoli Cheese Soup
Here is a recipe for broccoli cheese soup made with minimal added salt:
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth, low-sodium
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, low-sodium
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in the broth, broccoli and carrots. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes until broccoli is tender.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Stir milk mixture into the soup.
- Simmer soup 5 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 of the shredded cheese until melted.
- Season carefully with small amounts of salt and pepper until flavored to taste.
- Top bowls of soup with remaining 1/4 cheese and additional pepper.
This recipe uses no canned ingredients, a low-sodium broth and a moderate amount of cheese. By cooking the fresh vegetables in broth, you build flavor without relying solely on salt. Go slowly when seasoning to prevent over-salting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you remove salt after it’s added to a soup?
It’s very difficult to remove salt once it has dissolved in soup. Methods like adding starchy vegetables, acid or gelatin can help absorb some of the salty flavor, but they cannot completely eliminate over-added salt. Avoiding over-salting in the first place is best.
Will adding cream or milk make soup less salty?
Adding dairy can help mellow and smooth out salty flavors in soup. However, unless you use unsalted dairy, the cream or milk will also add more sodium. Opt for low-sodium dairy or plain Greek yogurt. Add small amounts gradually until desired salt level is reached.
Does simmering broth reduce saltiness?
Simmering can concentrate flavor as water evaporates, making the soup taste saltier. To avoid this, watch sodium levels closely when selecting broths. Or make your own low-sodium broth from scratch.
Can you substitute regular cheese with low-sodium?
Yes, you can swap regular, salted cheeses for low-sodium varieties in most recipes. Look for low-sodium labels on cheddar, Parmesan, mozzarella, etc. To compensate for less salt, you may need to increase seasoning with herbs, black pepper or acids.
Should you salt broccoli cheese soup at the end?
Yes, seasoning at the very end once the soup is finished cooking is ideal. This prevents over-salting since you can taste and adjust seasoning precisely. Add small amounts of salt and taste after each addition to get it just right.
Conclusion
A broccoli cheese soup with perfect seasoning is delicious, but one with excessive salt is unpalatable. Thankfully, fixing over-salted soup is possible by diluting, absorbing and balancing flavors. For best results, take steps to prevent over-salting by using low-sodium ingredients, reducing added salt, and tasting frequently as you cook. With a few minor adjustments and vigilant seasoning, you can turn out broccoli cheese soup with just the right amount of salty richness every time.