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February 12, 2019

Lightened Up Cheddar Cauliflower Broccoli Soup

Deliciously creamy lightened up cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup packed with veggies and incredible, cheesy flavor! This low carb soup is healthy comfort food at its finest.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins

cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup with bacon and cheese on top in a bowl with text overlay
I’m back on my Felicity binge on Hulu. Everyone’s telling me to watch You on Netflix, but quite frankly I’m scared it’s going to tarnish my love for Dan Humphries.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then clearly you are not a 90’s child. No shame in that, let’s move on to this INCREDIBLE cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup.

bowl of cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup

My husband’s favorite soup is a tie between broccoli cheddar and french onion. Now that I’ve got a classic french onion recipe under my belt, I’ve moved onto a lightened up inspired version of broccoli cheddar soup.

First, I have to admit that this recipe was kind of a happy accident as I was intending to make a broccoli cheddar soup with potatoes, but didn’t have any in the cupboard. Instead, I found a head of cauliflower and decided I’d make it work. And it was freaking glorious.

cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup ingredients on a board

What do I need to make this cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup?

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Butter
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Vegetarian broth
  • Flour of choice
  • Half & Half or whole milk
  • Spices

cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup in a mug bowl

What makes this cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup healthier?

Broccoli cheddar soup is typically full of heavy cream, LOTS of cheese and butter. My version is a lightened up made with less cheese, less butter and less cream.

The cauliflower helps to thicken the soup without needing to add extra cream. I say the more veggies, the better, don’t you?

a spoon pulling up cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup from the bowl

Just look at this. Don’t you want to dive in?

Our favorite way to eat it is with some good seedy multigrain bread for dunking into the soup, or with a few crackers crushed on top.

You can add bacon on top if you want to add a little something extra. It’s going to be fantastic however you make it. Enjoy! xo.

See how to make this cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup:

Lightened Up Cheddar Cauliflower Broccoli Soup

5 from 13 votes
Leave A Review Print Recipe
Course Gluten Free, Low Carb, Soup, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Serves 4
Deliciously creamy lightened up cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup packed with veggies and incredible, cheesy flavor! This low carb soup is healthy comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrot, julienned or cut into matchsticks
  • 3 tablespoons flour of choice (all purpose, whole wheat or gluten free flour)
  • 3 ½ cups low sodium vegetarian broth (or chicken broth if not vegetarian)
  • ½ cup half and half or whole milk (or heavy whipping cream)*
  • 3 cups cauliflower florets, very finely chopped (about 1 small head of cauliflower)
  • 3-4 cups broccoli florets, very finely chopped (about 1 medium head broccoli)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • Toppings:
  • Extra shredded cheese
  • Chopped bacon, if not vegetarian

Instructions

  1. In a large dutch oven or pot, add butter and place over medium high heat. Once butter is melted, add in garlic, onion, and carrot. Saute for 5 minute or until veggies are tender.

  2. Stir in the flour to coat the veggies, then slowly stir in the broth, stirring. Next add in milk, chopped cauliflower and broccoli, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until broccoli and cauliflower are tender.

  3. Stir in cheese and reduce heat to low.

  4. Add about 1/2 of the soup to a blender (roughly 3 cups) and blend until smooth. You can blend more or less soup, depending on how creamy or chunky you like it. Be very careful while you blend the soup.

  5. Once done blending, return blended soup to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, such as adding additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately with extra shredded cheddar on top and chopped bacon, if desired.

Recipe Notes

*You can also use 2%, skim, unsweetened coconut milk (from the can) or unsweetened almond milk. I might recommend changing the broth to milk ratio because you’ll be using a less rich milk. I would suggest using 1 1/2 cups milk and 2 1/2 cups broth instead. I can’t guarantee it would be as delicious though; using a more full fat milk is best!

Nutrition
Servings: 4 servings
Serving size: 1
Calories: 339kcal
Fat: 18.9g
Saturated fat: 11.1g
Carbohydrates: 25.5g
Fiber: 7.3g
Sugar: 8.4g
Protein: 21g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eat

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