Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This broccoli cheddar soup is full of flavor, packed with protein and lighter on saturated fat grams compared to a traditional broccoli cheddar soup recipe. It tastes great on a cold, crisp November fall day...Or on a sunny and 65°F fall day (more typical of this year's Iowa fall weather)!

Makes 4.5 servings (about 7 cups)

Total time: 40 minutes

All you need:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 (12 oz or about 4 cups) bag frozen chopped broccoli 

1-1/2 cups unsweetened original almond milk

1 cup Fage fat free plain Greek yogurt

3 cups freshly grated reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

All you do:

In a large saucepan, sauté onion, carrots and celery in olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook until onion is soft, about 7 minutes. 

Whisk in flour and black pepper, sauté 30 seconds. Gradually stir in broth and broccoli. Add lid to saucepan and bring soup to boil. Cook until broccoli is tender. Remove lid and blend mixture with handheld blender until mixture reaches desired consistency. Stir in almond milk and yogurt. Add cheese one cup at a time, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Simmer soup for an additional 5 to 10 minutes with lid on until evenly heated through. 

Top with additional shredded cheese, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts per serving (1 ½ cups): 375 calories, 21g fat, 7.5g saturated fat, 974mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate; 3g fiber, 28g protein.

Featured Kitchen Gadget: Immersion Blender

In this recipe, I used an immersion blender to blend the vegetables.  An immersion blender, also known as a handheld blender, is used to blend ingredients or purée foods in the container in which they are prepared.  It can be a useful tool for soups and sauces and is typically less messy than using a traditional blender or food processor.  The blended vegetables in the broccoli cheddar soup attributed to its creamy texture and consistency.  

As always, be sure to reach out to your West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitians for all your health and wellness questions!

Enjoy!

-Dietitian Natalie