Hello there!
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself craving the comfort foods I grew up loving, but with a little twist. I want them to be a bit lighter, a bit more nutritious, and packed with protein wherever I can sneak it in.
Being a vegetarian, and a pretty picky one at that, means I’ve become an expert at finding creative ways to add flavor and protein without sacrificing the foods I actually want to eat.
Broccoli cheddar soup is one of those meals that doesn’t just fill your stomach. It hugs your soul. It’s warm, creamy, hearty, and somehow has the magical ability to turn one of those “damn, today sucks” kind of days into an “okay… maybe life isn’t so bad after all” kind of evening.
The problem? Most broccoli cheddar soups you’ll find at restaurants or in the grocery store are made with chicken broth, which immediately puts them off the table for vegetarians. And even if that isn’t an issue, they’re often loaded with butter, cream, and enough calories to make your lunch feel like an all-day event.
So I set out on the great journey to make my own recipe (as usual).
This version is every bit as rich, creamy, and comforting as the classic, but it’s completely vegetarian, packed with extra nutrition, and just downright fucking delicious. Whether you’re looking for a cozy weeknight dinner or just need a bowl of comfort after a long day, I think this recipe is going to earn a permanent spot in your rotation.
What You’re Going to Need:
- 450 grams of peeled and diced potatoes
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 gloves of garlic, minced (or roughly chopped, live your truth)
- 1 cup of water
- 2 cups of vegetable broth
- 1.5 heads of Broccoli
- Almond milk (or milk of choice)
- A big spoonful of nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup of extra sharp cheddar (or more to taste, I don’t judge)
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cayenne pepper
Now, How the Hell Does This All Come Together?
Great question.
1. Sauté Your Veggies
Start by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Toss in your onions and garlic and let them cook until the onions are soft and translucent and your kitchen starts smelling like heaven.
2. Cook Your Potatoes
Pour in your water and veggie broth and bring it to a boil. Add in all your peeled and chopped potatoes and simmer those until they’re a little more than fork tender.
The amount of time will depend on how large your potatoes are cut. I did mine about 1-inch cubes and it took about 20 mins.
3. Add Your Broccoli
Chop your brocs up into the size you’d want to bite into, mind you half of this is going to get blended, and plop those bad boys in with your seasonings.
Season with your heart, truthfully I don’t measure my seasonings.
(I would go light on the salt depending on the vegetable broth, some of those thangs are saltyyyy afffffff).
Let them cook until they’re just before fork tender.
4. Blend It Up
Once you’re happy, take about half of your soup out of the pot and throw it into the blender (or use your immersion blender if you’re fancy).
NOW LISTEN HERE!
If you put it in the blender, WAIT UNTIL IT COOLS A LITTLE BIT.
If you do not, it will explode when you open it up and you do NOT want broccoli soup burns.
Trust me. Just…trust me.
5. Make It Creamy
Now, your soup is half blended. Pour it back into the pot and keep it going on a simmer.
Toss in about half a cup of your milk of choice. I like almond milk because it is lighter and I don’t find that it changes the flavor much.
Add a big ol’ dollop of Greek yogurt. I start with ¼ of a cup and add more if you have a taste for it, otherwise you’ll have broccoli Greek yogurt soup, and no one wants that…
(unless you do? That’s up to you)
6. Add the Cheese
Slowly add in your cheese and wait till that thang is all melted up, making sure your pot isn’t too hot or you’ll have a cheese disaster.
(See my mac and cheese story.)
7. Serve It Up
Pour a big hearty serving into a bowl, top with a little cayenne and some grated parm if you’d like and that’s it!
I know this seems like a lot, but I pinky promise it is so easy and you don’t have to stand over the stove the whole time.
I hope you love it as much as I do!!
