Creamy, dreamy, and lighter than traditional versions, this cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup is loaded with vegetables and incredible cheesy goodness. It’s healthy comfort food at its finest—low carb and absolutely satisfying.
I’ve been rewatching Felicity on Hulu. Everyone keeps telling me to check out You on Netflix, but honestly, I’m worried it might ruin my affection for Dan Humphries. If that reference means nothing to you, you probably weren’t a 90s kid. No judgment—let’s move on to this AMAZING cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup.
My husband’s favorite soup is a tie between broccoli cheddar and French onion. Now that I’ve perfected a classic French onion recipe, I turned my attention to a lighter take on broccoli cheddar.
I have to confess—this recipe was a happy accident. I set out to make broccoli cheddar soup with potatoes, but found none in the pantry. Instead, I grabbed a head of cauliflower and decided to make it work. And it turned out gloriously.
Traditional broccoli cheddar soup is loaded with heavy cream, tons of cheese, and butter. My version is lightened up—less cheese, less butter, less cream. The cauliflower also helps thicken the soup without extra cream.
I say the more veggies, the better!
Just look at that. Don’t you want to dive right in? Our favorite way to enjoy it is with a slice of hearty multigrain bread for dunking, or a few crushed crackers on top.
Feel free to add crispy bacon if you want an extra pop of flavor. However you make it, it’s going to be fantastic. Enjoy! xo.
SEE HOW TO MAKE THE SOUP
Lightened Up Cheddar Cauliflower Broccoli Soup
Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com
Nutrition Information
Low-Carb Cheddar Cauliflower Broccoli Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- Serving size: 1/4 of recipe Calories: 339
- Fat: 18.9g Saturated fat: 11.1g Carbohydrates: 25.5g Sugar: 8.4g Fiber: 7.3g Protein: 21g
Recipe type: Soup, Low Carb, Vegetarian
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 45 mins
- 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
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and carrot; sauté for about 5 minutes until tender. Stir in flour to coat the vegetables, then slowly pour in the broth while stirring. Add milk, finely chopped cauliflower and broccoli, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes until the broccoli and cauliflower are tender.
- Stir in the cheese and reduce heat to low. Transfer about half of the soup (roughly 3 cups) to a blender and blend until smooth. You can blend more or less depending on how creamy or chunky you like it—just be very careful when blending. Return the blended soup to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings (add more salt and pepper if needed). Serve immediately topped with extra shredded cheddar and chopped bacon, if desired.
*You can also use 2%, skim, unsweetened coconut milk (from the can) or unsweetened almond milk. In that case, I’d recommend adjusting the broth-to-milk ratio because the milk will be less rich. Try using 1 1/2 cups milk and 2 1/2 cups broth instead. I can’t guarantee it will be as delicious, though—full-fat milk really is best!
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eat
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