This Broccoli Cheddar Soup (with Bacon Bits!!) has got to be the most comforting of comfort soups. It’s super cheesy, creamy, and you’d never know that there is all of this healthy broccoli hiding inside of it! I looked all over for a version of this that does not have white flour in it. This was what I came up with after looking at several of the keto recipes I found. I made it with sharp white cheddar cheese, which made it really rich and actually better than any soup I’ve ordered at a restaurant, and I don’t eat at Panera. Anyway, add the bacon bits, a little more shaved white cheddar on top and you will want another bowl. It is just one of those recipes and I now feel like I need to start a soup truck.
I don’t know about you but orange cheese always makes me hesitant. There are colorants and additives in yellow cheese. No thank you. Annato seeds are ground up and added to cheddar cheese to give it the yellow color. It is basically safe, but some people are allergic to it. Interesting story on how orange cheese was originally priced higher because of the cow’s diet back in the day. So why we still need cheese to be orange is actually ridiculous!
It Is As Easy As This Looks!
You probably have most of this on hand already. Making it is almost as simple too. I used bone broth, but you can use any type of broth you prefer. If you use vegetable broth this soup will be vegetarian. I love to have an entire case of this stuff around!
Simple as that…just warm the broth up with the garlic in a stock pot. If you want to get fancy add salt, pepper, and/or onion powder!
Add the broccoli and heavy cream. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, until the broccoli is nice and soft (but not mushy). Before you pulverize this, remove some of the fully cooked broccoli if you like to have actual broccoli pieces in your soup.
Then you stick an immersion blender right into the pan (careful, it’s hot) and blend it until the broccoli bits are little specks. And you are ready to serve!
*If you really want to get crazy with it you can puree this in a blender. If you do that I would wait until it cools down before transferring to a blender.
Song for the Prep: Curious by Franz Ferdinand
Ooooweeee yes a new song by a band that I haven’t heard about in a long while. Such a great band that really understands the meaning of De Stijl. I know you are as curious about this fancy pants soup as you are this song! (I had to)
Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Bacon
- January 28, 2022
- 30 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 4 C broccoli florets
- 4 C chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 C shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/2 C for garnish
- 1 C heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 C bacon bits for garnish
Directions
- Step 1
- Pour the broth into a stock pot with the chopped garlic.
- Step 2
- Let it start to simmer and then add broccoli florets and heavy whipping cream, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Let come to a rolling boil.
- Step 3
- Remove 1 C of broccoli florets if you want whole pieces in your soup. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Be careful, it’s hot.
- Step 4
- Turn heat down to low, add cheese a cup at a time and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 5
- Serve with bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese garnish.
