This Broccoli Cheese Soup has a protein packed heathy secret… Beans! A delicous creamy broccoli cheddar soup with the added benefits of great northern beans with no butter or no heavy cream it is perfect to satisfy your cozy cravings while keeping you full!
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Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a warm comforting soup that always seems to satisfy! So I wanted to lighten it up a little bit as well as add in some protein and more fiber without compromising taste and I am so excited to share this recipe with you today.
Filled with veggies and beans you won’t even miss the fact there is no heavy cream in here!
I hope this soup warms and fill you up on a cold night!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil – In lieu of butter this recipe calls for olive oil, if you prefer the taste of butter over olive oil you may certainly substitute it.
- Yellow Onion – Yellow onion works great in this soup but a sweet onion or white onion will work just as well.
- Great Northern Beans – I went with great northern beans because of their consistency to help keep the soup thick and ability to take on other flavors. GNB are a fairly flavor neutral and will take on the flavors of what they are cooked in, so you can make this soup and not even know they are in there. Plus there are great benefits to GNB like they are high in Protein, Fiber, Manganese, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, and high in countless more minerals.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour to help thicken up the soup.
- Veggie Broth – Veggie Broth can be store-bought or homemade.
- Bay Leaves – To help Gove the soup flavor.
- Kosher Salt – I you don’t have kosher salt you can use Sea Salt as a substitute, if you only have table salt use half of the amount.
- Dry Mustard – Just a little dry mustard for the flavor.
- Ground Nutmeg – And surprisingly just a little bit of nutmeg goes a long ways in the recipe to help with flavor.
- Shredded Carrots – A staple part of broccoli cheese soup.
- Broccoli Florets – You may use pre-cut broccoli or cut the florets from 1 large or 2 small broccoli heads. If you do by pre-cut broccoli go through the florets and make sure they aren’t too big, cut them down to bite size if needed.
- Milk – I use regular cows milk and recommend using whole for the flavor if possible.
- Cheddar Cheese – One thing definitely worth its time in the recipe is shredding the cheddar cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheese comes coated with additives that keep it from sticking and melting. If you use the pre-shredded cheese you might find yourself having a hard time getting the cheese to melt into the soup. You will want about a 16 ounce block or cheddar, you might have a little cheese leftover.
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.
Instructions
Add a large dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the beans. Cook the beans with the onion about 1 minute.
Add in 1/4 cup flour to the pot. Stir and mix everything until it is well coated. Slowly stir in the veggie broth about 1 cup at a time until everything is mixed together well and it is smooth.
Carefully blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth.
If you don’t have an immersion blender transfer to a stand blender to blend smooth and then transfer back to the pot. Be careful as it will be hot. If possible leaves the spout open so the steam can escape during blending, cover with a towel to keep it from making a mess.
Next add to the pot the bay leaves, salt, mustard, nutmeg, carrots, and broccoli florets. Stir together. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
Stir the milk into the soup.
In a bowl mix together the shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon flour so that the flour coats the cheese. Keep an eye on the soup to make sure it doesn’t start to simmer but continue to let it get warmer. Add in half of the cheese to the top of the soup. Let the cheese sit on the soup for 1-3 minutes to melt before slowly whisking into the soup. Add the remaining cheese to the top and let sit another 1-3 minutes until melted and gently whisk in. Turn off the heat. Serve immediately.
tips, tricks and questions
How to avoid the cheese ‘breaking’/’curdling’/’not melting’ into the soup.
A tricky component of Broccoli Cheese Soup is making sure it isn’t too hot when adding the cheese. Cheese will curdle and break apart if it is added to something too quickly or too hot. If the soup seems like it got too hot too quickly after adding the milk and before adding the cheese turn off the heat to the stovetop and give it a few minutes to cool down. If you follow the directions and make sure it isn’t too hot, let it melt a little on top, and then whisk it in you shouldn’t have an issue with the cheese breaking.
Can I use Gluten-Free Flour?
YES! Make this gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour.
Is this Broccoli Cheese Soup Healthy?
In general I try to avoid the word healthy since it is subjective but in the general since that this recipe doesn’t use heavy cream or butter, is full of vegetables, and has the added benefits of beans I am calling this soup healthy!
Not a fan of nutmeg, try subbing out for paprika instead.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes, transfer to a freezer safe container before transferring to the freezer.
If you like this Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe you might also like:
- Chicken Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Simple Egg Drop Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
what to serve with this
Simple Spinach Salad
Easy Beer Bread
Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Healthy Chocolate Dessert Hummus
Yield: 6 servings
Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
This Broccoli Cheese Soup has a protien packed heathy secret... Beans! A delicous creamy broccoli cheddar soup with the added benefits of great northern beans with no butter or no heavy cream it is perfect to satisfy your cozy cravings while keeping you full!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 can great northern beans (15oz), drained
- 1/4 cup flour, plus 1 tablespoon divided
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 8 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add beans. Cook the beans with the onion about 1 minute.
- Add in 1/4 cup flour to the pot. Stir and mix everything until it is well coated. Slowly stir in the veggie broth about 1 cup at a time until everything is mixed together well and it is smooth.
- Carefully blend everything with an immersion blender* until smooth.
- Add to the pot the bay leaves, salt, mustard, nutmeg, carrots, and broccoli florets. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
- Stir the milk into the soup.
- In a bowl mix together the shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon flour so that the flour coats the cheese. Keep an eye on the soup to make sure it doesn’t start to simmer but continue to let it get warmer. Add in half of the cheese to the top of the soup. Let sit 1-3 minutes to melt before slowly whisking into the soup. Add the remaining cheese to the top and let sit another 1-3 minutes until melted and gently whisk in. Turn off the heat. Serve immediately.
Notes
*If you don't have an immersion blender transfer to a stand blender to blend smooth and then transfer back to the pot. Be careful as it will be hot.
I recommend buying a block of cheddar and shredding it yourself, you will want a block of cheddar about 16 ounces, you won't use all of it but you will have more than enough to make the 2 cups of shredded cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1/6 the dish
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 507Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 724mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 15gSugar: 13gProtein: 25g
Nutritional data is automated and might not be 100% accurate, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
