Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup

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Somewhere along the way, folks decided that a dish being “comfort food” meant it was also inherently unhealthy. Pshhhh. Trust me, you can make (and enjoy) all of your comfort food favorites, and still keep them light and healthy. What’s more comforting than knowing you are taking care of yourself and your family by taking care of your body? Nothing. That’s what.

This Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup is an excellent example of the concept of healthier comfort food. Let’s be honest, it’s mostly just a big bowl of veggies—with a little bit of cheese and milk for richness and flavor. Eating a bowl of this soup is pretty much exactly like eating a salad. Okay, so maybe not exactly like it, but darn close.

The key to making sure this soup is super (souper!) creamy and delicious—an immersion blender (AKA: a stick blender). Instead of loading this soup up with heavy cream or tons of butter, the thick and creamy texture comes from pureeing the majority of the veggies into a velvety-smooth soup.

You can definitely use a regular blender and just transfer batches back and forth between the blender and the stove. But honestly? The $25 you spend on an immersion blender will more than pay for itself in hassle and labor costs in it’s lifetime. If you don’t own one, you definitely should. I have this Cuisinart one, and it’s great—although they tend to burnt out after 2-3 years of use.

Honestly, I think this soup is a meal all on it’s own, but if you want to round out dinner, add some crusty bread and a fresh garden salad. Boom. Comfort food done healthy. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This Broccoli, Cheddar, and Potato Soup is warm, comforting and full of good-for-you veggies your whole family will love!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose or whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup skim or almond milk
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 petite Yukon Gold potatoes), peeled and diced
• 4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about five minutes.
2. Sprinkle with flour, stir, and cook for two minutes to thicken any remaining liquid.
3. Add the chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, cover and cook until broccoli is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Blend soup with an immersion blender (or use a regular stand blender by carefully transferring the hot soup) until smooth.
6. Turn off heat, stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

To make this recipe vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

To make this recipe gluten-free: Use arrowroot powder or tapioca starch instead of flour.

To make this recipe dairy-free: Use coconut oil, almond milk and non-dairy cheese instead of butter, milk and cheddar.