Harvest Broccoli Cheese
Soup Recipe
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Broccoli, a Healthy Ingredient
This recipe requires about 1/2 hour to prepare - but is certainly worth the effort. The flavors pop - and you'll feel great about eating a soup that's so fresh it could almost jump out of the bowl and plant a kiss on your lips!
Our recipe is packed with antioxidants, dietary fiber and a surprising amount of Vitamin C benefits - over 81 milligrams per chopped cut in its raw state.
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More than ever, it's important to boost your immunity level. Doing such can prevent your body from contracting a serious virus or other illness.
Other Health Ingredients
Our recipe for Harvest Broccoli Cheese Soup makes use of other healthy ingredients such as carrots, bell pepper, onion and celery.
We also add cheese which is a necessary ingredient for this classic dish - so if you wish to trim calories you can either skip the cheese or use a reduced fat version.
We also add some butter which is necessary for adding a rich flavor to the soup, and we add a bit of Half & Half as well.
We recommend serving this soup with a peasant-type bread which has been toasted on both sides to add crunch and texture.
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We generally enjoy a serving of milk with our Broccoli Cheese Soup as it compliments it exceptionally well.
Ingredient for Harvest Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
1-2 cups of chopped broccoli*
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
1 cup of finely chopped celery
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 cup of chicken broth - or 1 chicken bouillon cube
3-4 strips of chopped bell pepper, any variety or color will work
1/2 to 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1-2 Tablespoons of Butter*
1/2 cup of Half & Half
1+ Cups of 2% Milk*
*The amounts of butter, milk, shredded cheese and broccoli that you use will greatly be influenced on how you prefer the texture of your soup.
Keep in mind that the more butter and cheese that you use, the higher the calories. If you prefer a thicker soup, use more broccoli. If not, use less.
We aren't a fan of thickening this soup with flour or cornstarch because we prefer to add more of the broccoli.
This allows the soup to reheat nicely. When flour or other thickeners are used, they tend to make the soup turn into a glob of gelatin consistency.
If you wish, you can add a bit of cooked crumbled bacon to the soup.
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How to Prepare Diet Bites Harvest Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
1. Add all the vegetables to a soup pot EXCEPT for the broccoli and cover with water. Cook until tender. Just before they reach that tender stage, add the chicken bouillon cube.
2. In a separate cook fresh, raw broccoli in a pot until it is fork tender. We prefer to cook the broccoli separately from the other vegetables because it produces an unsavory liquid which can negatively influence the flavor of the soup. Next, drain the broccoli.
3. Place the vegetables and 1/2 of the cooked broccoli into a Magic Bullet, blender or food process and puree.
4. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave and add the pureed mixture to the bowl.
5. Add the shredded cheese and return to the microwave if necessary until the cheese is fully melted and blended in with the pureed mixture.
6. Remove from the microwave and add the Half & Half and the milk. Stir until incorporated.
7. Chop the remaining cooked broccoli and add to the mixture. Stir and return to the microwave oven and heat until bubbly hot.
Be sure to seal any leftovers - but we highly doubt there will be any as this is one very tasty soup!
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