This Broccoli Cheese Vegetable Soup Recipe is a kid-pleasing, hearty and comforting soup that is sure to warm your family on even the coldest Ohio Winter nights. The base of chicken broth combined with creamy cheese makes this soup a little lighter than traditional broccoli cheese soup. Adding a few extra vegetables turns this soup into a win-win for everyone. Trust me, you won’t have to beg your kids to eat their vegetables when you serve my Broccoli Cheese Vegetable Soup! This recipe is naturally low carb but can easily be vegetarian and gluten-free with a simple modification.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings | bowls |
- 19 tbsp butter divided (8 TBSP of this total is optional)
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups Chicken broth
- 4 stalks celery diced or chopped thin
- 5 carrots diced or chopped thin
- 2 lbs broccoli cut into florets
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2.5 cups Milk
- 1 tsp nutmeg ground
- 10 oz Cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 lb bacon crumbled
Ingredients
| |
- Cook 1 lb bacon, I cook at 400 degrees in oven for 12 minutes
- Melt 2 TB butter in large saucepan or stockpot.
- Saute onion and garlic.
- Add chicken broth, celery, and carrots. (I also add the broccoli stems to this step) Bring to boil then simmer until carrots are tender.
- Add broccoli florets, simmer 10 minutes
- Melt 9 TBSP butter in saucepan.
- Add flour and salt. Whisk until smooth. Cook on medium heat, constantly whisking until it bubbles.
- Gradually whisk in milk and the remaining 8 TBSP butter (optional). Constantly whisking on medium heat until it comes to a boil and thickens.
- Stir in the nutmeg.
- Remove from heat; stir in add cheese until it melts.
- Pour cheese mixture into broccoli mixture, stirring until combined; heat through.
- Add crumbled bacon to the top and serve.
You can lighten up this recipe by not adding the last 8 TBSP of butter to the milk and flour mixture. Use skim milk instead of 2%.
I haven’t timed this recipe exactly but with the chopping, cooking bacon, and main soup, I’d say it is well under 1 hour from start to clean-up! This has been my kid’s favorite soup since they were 7 and 9 and continues to be their favorite at 12 and 14 years old. It is a really comforting bowl of soup that isn’t too heavy like some broccoli cheese soups can be.
It is full of delicious flavors that kids and adults love including bacon although you could skip that to make it a vegetarian dish. Likewise, you could most likely use corn starch or other flour substitute to make this gluten free.
It is a low carb recipe (that doesn’t taste low carb) too with only 1/2 cup of flour for the entire pot. If you divide this recipe into 10 hearty bowls, each bowl is about 17.5 carbs. Those are for large bowls. The above serving size is closer to 10 carbs. There are approximately 175 carbs in the entire recipe with 60 of that broccoli! That is a hearty and filling 17 carbs for sure, perfect for type one diabetics or people eating low-carb diets.
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This soup reheats for lunch the next day (I pack it in Thermos for my kids!) or dinner the next day. Serve with a crunchy bread or toast and salad for a complete meal. I hope your family enjoys this hearty Broccoli Cheese Vegetable Soup as much as mine!