I grew up with a family who really didn’t cook with creams. So when I hear people talk about how bad cream soups are I looked into them. What I typically do is use stock or broth & thicken the soups with some milk mixed with flour or corn starch & then add the cheese if the recipes call for it.
For example, my cream of broccoli soup starts with cooking a small diced onion & a diced carrot in a bit of butter or olive oil. Then add in the broccoli & cover with chicken broth & cover & simmer until tender then I take about 1/2 c flour & mix with 2% milk & stir together & mix that into the soup. Then I add in some cheddar or cooper sharp cheese for cheddar broccoli.. I season with salt & pepper as needed. I use this for my potato soup & caulilfower soup too .. A note on chicken broths: I prefer low sodium & no msg..