Creamy Broccoli Soup

By Lucy Parissi

5 from 6 votes

, Updated Mar 03, 2020

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This Broccoli Soup tastes incredibly creamy and indulgent but it’s actually not only healthy but slimming friendly too!

Make a big batch to warm up on cold days – easy to cook on the stove or your Instant Pot and suitable for freezing too. Vegetarian with vegan option.

You will also love my Healthy Spinach Soup

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Have I mentioned how much I love soup? It’s one of my favourite comfort eats as evident by the plentiful soup recipes on this blog!

And I have been embracing healthy soups all the more since joining Slimming World – it’s such an easy way to fill up on yummy veggies and stay on plan 🙂

This comforting soup always feels like like such a treat – it’s packed with flavour, rich and creamy yet secretly healthy and diet friendly. 

Ingredients

You will need either a large lidded pot (LOVE my Greenpan one so much!), a pressure cooker or a soup maker plus an immersion blender. Check the instructions for the soup maker version in the recipe card.

• Low calorie cooking spray such as Fry Light
• Onions and garlic
• Baby leeks or one large leek (white parts only)
• Potato – use varieties suitable for mashing such as Maris Piper
• Broccoli florets – you could try frozen ones for ease
• Vegetable stock (from a cube or a stockpot)
• Bay leaf, salt, pepper, mustard powder and freshly grated nutmeg
• Skimmed milk or light evaporated milk for an even creamier version! 
• Cheddar cheese (ideally mature or vintage for extra flavour) 

Here’s why it’s a must make! 

✔ So easy to make on the stove, soup maker or the pressure cooker (Instant Pot)

✔ Ready in under 30 minutes

✔ Rich, creamy, filling and delicious 

✔ Only 200 calories per serving, diet friendly and full of veggie goodness

✔ Freezer friendly 

A HEALTHY SOUP

This creamy vegetable soup is low in fat and calories. It’s suitable for popular weight loss plans like Weight Watchers or Slimming World using some of your allowance for milk and cheese.

One serving is 200 calories and 7 WeightWatchers SmartPoints making it an excellent choice for a slimming lunch or light dinner.

BROCCOLI SOUP STEP BY STEP 

Take a look at this step by step tutorial – plas note you will find the full recipe, including ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1 Mist a large lidded pot with olive oil cooking spray. Add the onion and leeks and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add a splash of stock if the pot gets too dry.

Step 2 Stir in the potatoes, minced garlic, salt, pepper,  mustard powder and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 3 Add the vegetable stock and bring to a rolling simmer. Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 4 Add the broccoli, partially cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a knife.

Step 5 Don’t forget to remove and discard the bay leaf! Use an immersion blender to blitz the soup until it is smooth. (Alternatively transfer to a blender and blitz).

Step 6 Stir in the milk and cheese and simmer for a couple of minutes until warmed through. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Step 7 Serve with a little extra grated cheese and garnish with chopped parsley or mint.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 Select Sauté and mist the pot with cooking spray. Add the onion and beef once hot and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Add a splash of stock if the pot gets too dry.

STEP 2 Stir in the potatoes, bay leaf, minced garlic, salt, pepper, mustard powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock then seal the pot. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.

STEP 3 Release the steam manually and carefully open the lid. Use an immersion blender to blitz the soup until smooth.

STEP 4 Stir in the milk and cheese. Select Sauté and cook for a couple of minutes until warmed through. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little freshly grated nutmeg and serve.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

• Vegan variation Swap the milk for a non dairy alternative such as oat milk or oat cream for extra creaminess. Replace the cheddar with a good quality vegan cheese (I like Violife))
• Broccoli and Stilton soup Swap the cheddar for crumbled Stilton cheese. A stronger taste but quite addictive (and an excellent way to use up Christmas cheese leftovers)
• Chicken and Broccoli soup Add 4 mini skinless chicken breasts together with the stock. Cook for 20 minutes then take out using a slotted spoon. Shred using two forks and stir back into the soup after blending. Alternatively add some leftover roast chicken or turkey and heat until warmed through. 
• Keto Broccoli soup Swap the low calorie cooking spray for 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Use double cream (heavy cream) instead of skimmed milk and add more cheese if you like!
• Creamy Vegetable Soup Add even MORE veggies! Swap half of the broccoli for cauliflower florets or zucchini (courgette) and stir in a large handful of chopped spinach five minutes before blending.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

This soup is suitable for freezing before you add the milk and cheese (milk and cream can separate if frozen). Cool the blended soup completely then put in suitable freezer bags or freeze into cubes using silicone muffin tin. Use within 3 months, reheating until piping hot all the way through before stirring in the milk and cheese.

HAVE YOU MADE MY BROCCOLI SOUP RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!

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5 from 6 votes

Broccoli Soup | Slimming Friendly

By Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

This Broccoli Soup tastes incredibly creamy and indulgent but it’s actually not only healthy but slimming friendly too! Make a big batch to warm up on cold days – easy to cook on the stove or your Instant Pot and suitable for freezing too.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• ▢ Low calorie cooking spray such as fry light
• ▢ 1 large onion , diced
• ▢ 4 baby leeks or one large leek (white parts only), diced
• ▢ 2 small potatoes , peeled and cubed
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ ½ tbsp mustard powder or Dijon mustard
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ Generous pinch black pepper
• ▢ 1 bay leaf leave out in Soup Maker!
• ▢ 1 medium broccoli , florets only approx. 9oz or 250g
• ▢ 5 cups | 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• ▢ 1 cup | 240ml skimmed milk or light evaporated milk
• ▢ ½ cup | 60g cheddar cheese , grated plus extra to serve
• ▢ Salt and pepper to season
• ▢ Pinch nutmeg , freshly grated (optional)
• ▢ Mint or parsley leaves to garnish

Instructions 

ON THE HOB

• Mist a large lidded pot with olive oil cooking spray. Add the onion and leeks and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add a splash of stock if the pot gets too dry.
• Stir in the potatoes, minced garlic, salt, pepper, mustard powder and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the vegetable stock and bring to a rolling simmer. Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the broccoli, partially cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a knife.
• Don’t forget to remove and discard the bay leaf! Use an immersion blender to blitz the soup until it is smooth. (Alternatively transfer to a blender and blitz).
• Stir in the milk and cheese and simmer for a couple of minutes until warmed through. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little freshly grated nutmeg.
• Serve with a little extra grated cheese and garnish with chopped parsley or mint.

INSTANT POT METHOD

• Select Sauté and mist the pot with cooking spray. Add the onion and beef once hot and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Add a splash of stock if the pot gets too dry.
• Stir in the potatoes, bay leaf, minced garlic, salt, pepper, mustard powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock then seal the pot. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
• Release the steam manually and open the lid. Use an immersion blender to blitz until smooth.
• Stir in the milk and cheese. Select Sauté and cook for a couple of minutes until warmed through. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little freshly grated nutmeg and serve.

SOUP MAKER METHOD

Suitable for 1.6L soup maker – do not overfill!

• LEAVE OUT THE BAY LEAF! Put all the chopped vegetables in the soup maker in order listed and top with vegetable stock filling only to the maximum line indicated.
• Select the ‘smooth’ soup programme which will cook and blend your soup.
• Pour the soup into a pot and stir in the milk the cheese, simmer for a couple of minutes until warmed through before serving.

Notes

FREEZING CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

This soup is suitable for freezing before you add the milk and cheese (milk and cream can separate if frozen). Cool the blended soup completely then put in suitable freezer bags or freeze into cubes using silicone muffin tin. Use within 3 months, reheating until piping hot all the way through before stirring in the milk and cheese.

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Please note I am not affiliated in any way with Slimming World or Weight Watchers. These weight loss plans are often updated in line with latest nutritional guidance and may change so for accurate information it is best to join as a member.

Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on serving sizes and quality of ingredients.

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 1279mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.

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