Healthy Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup
This healthy chicken broccoli soup is a great option to a calorie-heavy broccoli cheese soup recipe. Made with easy ingredients, like store-bought rotisserie chicken and a cauliflower puree, this healthy broccoli cheese soup recipe tastes amazing!
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot or Dutch Oven Idea for cooking soups and pasta, this Le Creuset Dutch Oven is a mainstay in my kitchen!
- blender I LOVE my Blendtec Designer Series Blender. We use it daily! It's great for smoothies, frozen cocktails, soup bases and even muffin and pancake batter.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic 3-4 cloves
- 1 (16 oz. bag) frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 (32 oz. carton) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup diced carrots 2-3 large carrots
- 5 cups diced fresh broccoli about 2 small/medium crowns
- 10 oz. cooked chicken shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 (8 oz. pkg.) shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until onions are nearly translucent.
- While onions and garlic are cooking, place frozen cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl, with about 1/2 cup of water and microwave on high for 5 minutes to steam.
- Place the steamed cauliflower, sauteed onions and garlic and half of the chicken broth into a blender. Blend on medium-high speed for 45-60 seconds or until creamy and smooth. Add puree back to stock pot.
- In same microwave bowl, add the diced carrots and broccoli. Add 1/2 cup water and microwave on high for 5 minutes to steam.
- Add the steamed broccoli and carrots to the cauliflower puree. Also add the shredded chicken, garlic salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add remaining chicken broth and stir. Heat over medium heat until soup comes to a low boil/simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the shredded cheese and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes before ladling into bowls and serving. Top with additional shredded cheese, if desired.
Notes
For chicken: store-bought rotisserie chicken works well.
For cheese: Any cheddar blend works well. I like the flavor of Mexican blend.
For blending: feel free to use an emersion blender to blend the cauliflower, onions, garlic and broth. Keeping these ingredients in the same stockpot helps with clean-up. You can also add half of the steamed broccoli to the blender to make the soup smoother and less chunky.
Nutrition
Serving: 1, 1 1/2 cupsCalories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 19gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 409mgFiber: 8gSugar: 6g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!