Lighter Recipe

lightbroccolicheddarsoup

Not shockingly, a lot of my favorite dishes are chock full of fat. Why wouldn’t they be? Fat tastes good! But here’s the thing. Foods full of fat weigh me down, literally and figuratively. Recently, I was craving one of the heaviest soups I can think of—broccoli cheddar soup. I almost always give in to my cravings, but I knew I could make a better version of this soup. A lighter version. I didn’t cut out the fat completely, but it has been drastically reduced and still tastes delicious.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

by The Splattered Apron

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: boil blender soup/stew vegetarian

Ingredients (serves 4)

6 Tablespoons butter {I said lighter, not perfect }
1 small onion, diced
3 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
1.5 Tablespoons arrowroot
3 cups vegetable broth
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper
6 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon creamy Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4-1/3 cup of cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

In a large pot {I used my Dutch oven} melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the milk and arrowroot, whisking until no clumps remain.

Add the milk and vegetable broth to the pot. Season with a pinch of nutmeg. Next, add the broccoli, nutritional yeast, Dijon and garlic powder. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover and bring to a simmer over low heat for 17 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender. If you use a regular blender, do it in batches and be sure to use a kitchen towel and allow the steam to escape.

I used my immersion blender and left the soup a little chunky.

Stir in the grated cheese. {I always grate my cheese as needed, prepared cheese doesn’t seem to melt as well.}

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

lightbroccolicheddarsoup