Name: Lightened Up Broccoli and Cheese Potato Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed; 1 large onion, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 4 c. chicken broth; 2 c. water; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon thyme; 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets; 3 Tablespoons flour; 3/4 c. low fat milk; 6 oz. cream cheese; 1 1/2 c. part skim shredded cheddar cheese

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Adding potatoes to a lightened up version of Broccoli and Cheese Soup makes it the perfect creamy and hearty soup for a cold winter evening.

Broccoli cheese soup is one of my favorites. There’s something about the warm, comforting cream base that just screams comfort food. The only thing I hate about it is the fat and calories. Cream based soups are often high in both and broccoli cheese is no exception.

So when I was looking in my Taste of Home magazine and saw a healthier version I was excited to try it. Even better? It was loaded with one of my favorite foods-potatoes!

I love that this soup combines broccoli, potatoes, and cheese together in one delicious soup. It’s kind of like having a cheesy potato soup which totally works in this case.

Ingredients:

potatoes
onions
garlic
chicken broth
salt and pepper
thyme
broccoli
flour
milk
cream cheese
cheddar cheese

To make the soup you combine the potatoes, onions, and garlic with the liquid ingredients and spices and let that simmer for a little while. Then you add in the broccoli.

The milk and flour mixture is added in next to help thicken up the soup. Finally the cream cheese and cheddar cheese are added and mixed until melted into the soup. It’s that easy!

Can I use fresh broccoli?

Of course! If you are using fresh broccoli instead of frozen add it in with the potatoes and onions at the beginning so that it is able to cook. If you add it at the end it will be crunchy.

Can I use another type of cheese?

Sure! Choose a cheese that you enjoy but since cheddar cheese melts well I would keep half the cheddar cheese and just add in another cheese like Swiss or American.

Can I add other veggies?

Yes! Great choices would be cauliflower or bell peppers. Add these at the beginning of the recipe with the potatoes.

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can make this soup a day in advance. Let it cool to room temperature then put it in the refrigerator. Heat it up when you are ready to use it.

Can I freeze this soup?

I wouldn’t. The broccoli and potatoes will basically turn to mush if you freeze this plus since it has a lot of cheese in it the consistency will be off.

I really like this soup and in addition to being easy to make it was ready to eat in about 30 minutes. I love quick soup recipes that still taste good and this is one of those that doesn’t need to simmer all day.

The original recipe called for the soup to be pureed in the blender but I really like to see the chunks of potatoes and broccoli in my soup. I also added in some cream cheese to thicken it up and add some flavor since I didn’t puree the vegetables.

Overall this was a hearty and tasty soup. There were large chunks of both potatoes and broccoli and the soup was light on the creaminess but still had a delicious cheese flavor. I served it with a tossed salad and rolls for a complete meal.

Salads and Rolls to go with Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup

6 delicious salad and roll recipes that pair well with this Lightened Up Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup recipe.