Health & Wellness Recipe: Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Traditional broccoli-cheese soup has nearly 400 calories and more than 18g saturated fat per serving. This recipe has less than half the calories and ¼ of the saturated fat. And, it’s sooo good.

3 cups unsalted chicken stock
1¾ cups broccoli florets, coarsely chopped (about 8 oz.) fresh or frozen
1 cup diced yellow onion
½ cup chopped carrot
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup half-and-half or milk
4 ounces shredded reduced-fat
extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Combine first 7 ingredients; chicken stock, broccoli florets, onion, carrot, salt, black pepper and garlic, in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Pour half of the soup into a blender. Remove centerpiece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender.

Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return soup to pan. Stir in half-and-half and 2 ounces cheese.

Top with remaining cheese and parsley.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup soup and 2 tablespoons cheese)

Nutritional Facts per 1-cup soup and cheese topping: 160 calories, 7g Total fat, (4.5g saturated fat) 14g Protein, 11g Carbohydrate, 2g Dietary Fiber, 23mg Cholesterol, 1mg Iron, 350mg Sodium, 213mg calcium