Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

I’ve mentioned before that we don’t eat a lot of soup at our house.

This is mostly because the weather where we are is typically so warm that I’ve never developed the soup habit.

Now and then, typically when it is rainy for days at a time, I get the urge.

Recently, we had storms that lasted for days, and I decided to pull out my slow cooker and makes some soup.

The results where today’s Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup.

I gotta tell you; this one may convert me over to the soup-side. (Not to be confused with the dark side. Not funny? Ok, I’ll stop, and we can talk about soup again.)

This was a great hearty soup that was filling enough for a meal. I also loved it spooned over a baked potato the next day.

I made it vegetarian, but you could easily substitute out the milk, butter and cheese and make it vegan. Or, for that matter, you could use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and make it neither!

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Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

This makes a thick soup. If you prefer a thinner soup, add in an additional cup or two of broth. If you would prefer to skip the potato, a cup of cooked quinoa makes a great substitute.

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
• 2 onions chopped fine
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 tablespoons gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large russet potato peeled and cubed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 cups bite sized broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese or Daiya

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and cook for 6 minutes, until soften. Add garlic, flour, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in two cups of broth, whisking as you go. Cook until mixture begins to thicken and transfer to a slow cooker. Add remaining broth, potato, bay leaf, broccoli and thyme. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
2. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a blender. Process until smooth and return to slow cooker on low.
3. Stir in milk and cheddar and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper and cook until cheese melts.

Recipe Notes

Servings 8, Calories 262, Fat 13.5g, Carbohydrates 19.8g, Protein 13.7g, Cholesterol 39mg, Sodium 932mg, Potassium 408mg, Fiber 3.1g, WW Pts 7