Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup without the cream! A secret ingredient (white beans!) makes this luxurious soup without the guilt.
I know it’s not fall yet, but I’m so ready for my favorite season to start already! Don’t get me wrong–I do like summer a lot. I usually have weeks off at a time (I teach summer school and am involved in some admin work for the university in one way or another) and get to enjoy some mini vacations here and there. But this summer was unusually hot and humid in SoCal, so I’m just so ready for it to end.
Fall is my favorite season for many reasons–better weather, cuter clothes (I love layers!), the best holiday (Thanksgiving), and warm comfort food on a cool evening. Nothing says comfort to me quite like a big ‘ol pot of soup simmering away, and broccoli cheese is one of my all-time favorites. The recipe I used for years included cream and tons of cheese, so I tried to think of ways to get the same creaminess of the original for lower points without sacrificing the texture.
White beans to the rescue! Just so you know, I am NOT a huge fan of beans on their own. Something about the graininess just throws me off. So if you’re worried that this will taste too “beany” (is that a word?), fret no more. I wouldn’t love this soup as much as I do if it tasted like beans, even in the slightness sense. I topped my soup with some Tapatio to make it even more perfect.
Also, since the only dairy we’re adding here is cheese, you could make this complete vegan by subbing the cheese for about 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast. Try it with less at first, then keep adding until you get the “cheesy” intensity you prefer.
Oh, and have you noticed that soup tastes 5x better when you make it in a cast iron dutch oven? I mean, a lot of things taste much better in a dutch oven (just about any roast), but soup is a huge one for me. I only ever cook soup in my Vremi Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. If you haven’t tried cooking in one of these, you must now! You might also want to invent in an immersion blender. I use mine all the time, and it’s pretty affordable. Of course, you don’t need all of this equipment to the make the soup. Just go with what you have if you want!
What is your favorite soup? What about your other fall-favorite comfort foods?
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, trimmed from stalk and chopped into small pieces (about 4 cups)
- 2 medium carrots, trimmed and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1-2 tsp salt (depends on how salty your stock is)
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 box vegetable stock, 4 cups. (I use Nature’s Promise Organics, which is 0 SP. If your stock scans at 1 SP, increase the points per serving to 3).
- I can white beans, rinsed and drained (I used northern beans)
- 2 small heads broccoli, trimmed from stalk and chopped into small pieces (4 cups)
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- juice of half a lemon (about 2 tsp)
- 4 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place cauliflower, carrots, garlic, onion, spices, and stock in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until veggies are soft, about 15 minutes.
- .Add in beans, then use an immersion blender to blend mixture until smooth. You could use a regular blender, but it’s so much easier with an immersion blender.
- Add broccoli to soup and simmer until soft to your liking, about 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat, then use the blender again. I only blend a bit to keep chunks of broccoli in the soup.
- Add in dijon, lemon juice, and cheeses. Mix until cheese is melted. Add more almond milk if the soup is too thick.
Hi! First I want to thank you for all the good you do by creating all of your WW recipes. You’ve taken the hit out of searching for good food one can eat while Freestyling and making it much easier and enjoyable. When I input the ingredients above into my WW app for creating a recipe I come up with a total of 15 points for the entire recipe: 3 for veg. stock, 4 for parm. cheese and 8 for reduced fat mozzarella making one service 3 points and 2 servings 5 points. Did one of us miscalculate?
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your kind words! The vegetable stock that I use (Nature’s Promise Organics Culinary Stock) is 0 SP, so I think that’s the difference in our calculations. I’ll definitely make a note of that in the recipe, though! I didn’t even think that other veggie stocks would have points. Thanks for letting me know.
Geri
This was absolutely delicious!! I used chicken stock vs vegetable stock. Sooooooo goooooood thank you for sharing. Going to have to get an immersion blender.
I have lost 25.5 pounds since April and between your recipes and your Trader Joe’s recommendations I have been able to keep going. Thank you.
What fantastic news, Mary! A 25.5 pound loss is a huge accomplishment! I’m so glad that you liked the soup and my other recipes. Thank you for sharing. 💙
Hi Geri! I was wondering, at what step do you add the initial 1/2 C of almond milk in? Sorry if I’m missing it in the directions, I may be missing it.
I add it in while I’m blending the veggies after cooking to get the consistency I like. Hope that helps!
Hi there! Dying to make this- looks amazing! Tree but allergy though, so no almond milk. Could I use skim instead?!? Thank you so much!
Absolutely! I only use almond milk because it’s low in points, but skim will work just as well and overall points won’t change. 🙂
I’ve been having trouble getting back on track with WW the past few months (lost 31 but have gained back 10), so I’ve been coming to you for inspiration. This recipe did not disappoint. Just wanted to say thank you! I used real milk (hubby doesn’t like sweetness of almond milk) and 1/2 cup cheddar extra but doubled the veggies to make more for my big family. There whole crew loved it, especially my picky 2 year old. Only 5 points!!
Wow, that’s not bad at all! I love that my recipes are helping you out. Thank you for sharing!
Can this be done in the crockpot?? Yum! Totally making this this week!
Absolutely! Haven’t tried it that way yet, but I’m sure it would be great. Let me know how it goes!
I’m sure it could! I haven’t tried it that way, but let me know if it works for you. )
Hi do you only ever use those 2 cheeses? Could i do half mozz half cheddar maybe?
You could definitely do that. I just use the mozz to keep the points a little lower.
This soup is amazing!! So filling and soooo flavorful and so full of veggies. My mom and I love this soup. Perfect winter warmer!
It really is so tasty and healthy. Glad your mom likes it, too!
Could you use a hand mixer instead of immersion blender? I don’t have one. Also, would frozen broccoli work?
Yes to both! The hand mixer might not get it as smooth, but I like a chunky soup. You could also use a blender or food processor if you have one.
I love all your recipes. Thank you for sharing. Do you have the full nutritional facts for the soup? I am on a different WW plan:) thank you in advance.
Thank you! I’m adding this to my list of recipes to update. Thanks for letting me know!
Made this today and was blown away! Seriously! I was in a hurry, so I made it in the Instant Pot and it worked like a charm! Step one – set IP for 8 mins, then blend. While it cooked I steamed my broccoli. Added it in and partially blended it with the dijon and lemon juice. Spot on delicious! Thank you once again for a great lighter but oh-so-satisfying recipe! You are an artist with alternate ingredients.
Thank you so much, Jonna! What a helpful review, once again. I appreciate your comments!