This Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup is the perfect comfort food for the end of a busy day. This vegetarian broccoli soup has a vegan option.
There is a joke amongst Floridians that if you don't like the weather, all you have to do is wait a few minutes. Because it will change!
This is, of course, in reference to how it can go from sunny to a major lighting storm and back to sunny all within the course of an hour.
Sadly, as quickly as it can go from storming to sunny here, the same doesn't apply to the temperature. Apparently, the memo that fall was here got lost in transit.
Every day I wake up and look at my 10-day weather forecast hoping that day ten will show some relief from the near-90 degree temperatures.
No such luck.
These high temperatures sure do make it difficult to get into the spirit of fall. And I WANT to get into the spirit of fall.
So let's do it with food, ok?
Let's start with soup!
I've mentioned before that we don't eat a lot of soup at our house.
This is mostly because 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.
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!
Tools for Making Slow Cooker Broccoli and Cheese Soup
- Slow Cooker
- Skillet (if you slow cooker doesn't have a saute function)
- Blender or Immersion Blender
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
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
- 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.
- Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a blender. Process until smooth and return to slow cooker on low.
- Stir in milk and cheddar and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper and cook until cheese melts.
Marty Kreider
Re: Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup recipe from wendypolisi.com/easyrecipe the instructions say to add Thyme. The Ingredient list does not list Thyme. How much thyme is required and is it fresh or dried Thyme?
Barb S.
The ingredients list I see here does include 1/2 teaspoon of dried time.
Shannon Graham
This is one of my favorite soups!
Barb S.
About the Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup recipe, the ingredients list I see here does include 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme.