This Broccoli Cheddar Soup is loaded with yumminess, lots of veggies, and (my favorite part) BACON & CHEESE! I serve this soup with Parmesan Crisps that bring a salty, cheesy companion to the creaminess of the soup, without the cream! This recipe is a variation of Joy Filled Eats Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup. Now this can be a keto soup if you add a cup of heavy whipping cream in it. I honestly forgot to put the cream in here because I was hungry. It actually turned out better without the cream crowding all the flavors. So you can feel free to make your soup more creamy by adding a cup of heavy cream, but I am going to recommend that you don’t. If you don’t like the soup naked with the veggies, cheese, bacon, and chicken stock, you go for it. But I’ll bet you don’t. It can also be made totally vegan if you use veggie stock, skip the cream (as per my recommendation), and use a soy cheese that melts.
I think you will be gloriously impressed with this recipe, with or without an InstantPot. I’m still trying to bond with the thing (my InstantPot). You can totally make this in a big, 6-cup Stockpot on the stove like I was tempted to. I have a weird aversion towards my InstanPot Duo, because when I cook I don’t like to follow a recipe to the T. The fun part about cooking, for me, is tossing herbs and whatever into a recipe at will; being creative. For an InstantPot wanna-be hater this recipe worked out perfectly. You will also need an immersion blender for the fun part which is mushing this soup into an edible deal. You be the judge as to how smooth and creamy this turns out for you. I like mine a little grainy. Let’s make this thing!
These are going to soften up so you don’t have to cut them up too small. I used 3/4 head of cauliflower and 1 1/2 for the broccoli. I hate measuring, so don’t feel like this is going to make or break your soup. The ratio should be more broccoli than cauliflower.
So for this soup I did sauté onions, carrots, and celery (like a proper soup should be IMHO) before starting the pressure cooker with the broccoli/cauliflower. You can skip that part too if you are in a hurry. But it did add quite a bit to the flavor. FYI
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- March 20, 2021
- 30 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped fine
- 3 large carrots, chopped into small pieces
- 4 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
- 2 T olive oil
- 6 cups chicken broth (or veggie)
- 1 1/2 heads of broccoli
- 3/4 small head of cauliflower
- 1 cup heavy cream (optional)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 T dried oregano (or fresh if available)
- 1 T dried basil (or fresh if available)
- 1 T dried thyme (or fresh if available)
- 5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled for topping
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, for topping
Directions
- Step 1
- Saute onion, carrots, and celery in heavy stock pot or InstantPot until soft. I added a cup of stock to the InstantPot to keep it from getting too hot.
- Step 2
- Add broccoli, cauliflower, and broth. Cook on manual, high pressure for 5 minutes. Do a quick pressure release. IF using stock pot cook over medium high heat for 10-15 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
- Step 3
- Add seasonings and cream (optional). Puree until smooth.
- Step 4
- Add 2 cups cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
- Step 5
- Serve promptly with bacon bits and remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
Song for the Prep: Breakdown (Tom Petty Cover) by Spoon
Serendipity again! I was looking at my YouTube feed, trying to think of a perfect song to pair with this Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and this came up. What a Covid treat, right? I suppose I’m going to conceptualize this going along with the breakdown of this soup when you mush it all up with your immersion blender and spoon it into your mouth. You followin’ me? I’m going down a YouTube hole with Spoon right now. If you need a place to start, Gimme Fiction is one of my favorites!
