Panera broccoli cheddar soup copycat recipe
This thick and creamy low carb broccoli cheese soup recipe is not for the faint of heart. But if you are a quesophile like myself, then you have come to the right place. It is warm and comforting - everything a good soup should be. This broccoli cheese soup is easy to modify with the ingredients you have on hand. Mix things up a bit and try substituting different cheeses. I also like to add more vegetables based on what I have on hand - red peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower etc. You can't go wrong with a delectably, cheesy vegetable soup. This gluten free cheddar broccoli soup is one of my favorite ways to sneaks extra vegetables into kids diets. With all the cheese and cream, they won't even know that they are getting an extra dose of vitamins and minerals.
What you need to make this low carb Cheddar Broccoli Soup Recipe:
- butter
- ham steak
- onion
- carrot
- celery
- garlic
- sea salt
- black pepper
- broccoli
- chicken stock
- heavy cream
- sharp cheddar cheese
- parmesan cheese
Variations for this keto cheddar broccoli soup recipe
- Switch up the cheeses. Some of my favorites are smoked mozzarella or gouda
- Speaking of smoked - if you want to give this soup a smokey flavor, add a splash of liquid smoke
- Make it with half cauliflower and half broccoli
- For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken stock for veggie stock and omit the ham
- Use leek instead of celery and onion
- Use shallot in place of onion
- Add rotisserie chicken
Other low carb soup recipes you might enjoy:
- Creamy Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup
- Creamy Roasted Mushroom and Garlic Soup with Bacon
- Philly Cheesesteak Soup
- Keto Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Creamy Cajun Sausage and Potato Soup
- Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Chowder
- Paleo Cabbage Roll Soup
- Slow Cooker Clam Chowder
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Easy Peasy Wonton-less Soup
Keto Cookbooks and Meal Plans
- Home for the Holidays – 25 Classic Holiday Recipes Made Low Carb
- Craveable Keto Cookbook
- Dairy Free Keto Cooking
- Keto Happy Hour
- 30 Minute Ketogenic Cooking
- Primal Low Carb Kitchen
- Keto Desserts
- Low Carb Slow Cooker Soups and Stews
- Keto Savory Side Dishes
- Keto Condiments Dressings and Sauces
- 14 Weeks of Low Carb and Gluten Free Meal Plans
Want more low carb soup and stew recipes?
Is there anything more comforting on a cold day than a hot bowl of soup? In this ebook, there are 30 creative and delicious soup recipes. They utilize common every day ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery store -no weird specialty ingredients here. So break out your Dutch oven, stock pot, and slow cooker, because it is soup season! These recipes are hearty enough to make a full meal, and perfect for meal prep. I like to make each one in a double batch and freeze half for later - cook once, eat twice. CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Broccoli Cheese Soup - keto, low carb, gluten free
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes 16 Servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 12 ounces ham steak, cubed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoons sea salt (this is the only brand I use) code PEACE for 15% off
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 cups rough chopped broccoli florets
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the ham to the pot. Cook until the ham is browned all over. Using a slotted spoon, remove the fried ham from the pot, retaining the drippings.
- To the drippings, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté until the vegetables are tender and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the broccoli and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add a little bit of the chicken stock to the pot to deglaze. Scrape up and mix in any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the remaining chicken stock to the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix in the heavy cream and simmer for 10 additional minutes.
- Stir in the cheddar and parmesan cheeses and stir until melted. Let simmer for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
- Add the ham to the pot, retaining some for garnish.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency. You can skip this step for a brothier soup, with larger chucks of vegetables.
- Garnish with cheddar and reserved ham before serving.
Notes
- If you are using unsalted butter, you will want to increase the amount of sea salt in this recipe.
- net carbs per serving: 3.5g
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: soups and stews
- Method: simmer
Nancy says
I love your recipes…I love your substitution suggestions..I tried this soup and loved it full of flavor and no fancy ingredients
Deb says
This recipe is delicious! I appreciate your recipe development and blogging!
I also found suggestions from others about adding a pinch of nutmeg and the slow cooker hints to be helpful. (I also added a pinch of cayenne pepper)
May I respectfully offer my hints that may help others by clarifying some steps:
1) in step 4, after scraping up the bits, add in remaining amount of stock.
2) step 5 should say bring to a BOIL (as one who used to live in the South, I understood immediately what was meant-and it added a smile to my face.)
3) As Kyndra pointed out, you can use the cheese of your preference but it is important to shred it yourself. I used an 8 oz block of cheddar which yielded 2 cups of shreds and a 4 oz block of parmesan which gave me about 1 cup. It is wise to cook gently for the 20-30 minutes as written so the cheese becomes smooth...otherwise you get gobs that chew like a rubber band...not "good eats" at all! (guess how I know that? LOL!)
4) I reversed steps 8 and 9, pureeing the desired amount before adding the ham back into the soup.
5) I would add a step 11-prepare for COMPLIMENTS!!!! My husband absolutely loved this recipe, as did my non-low carb visitors. Kyndra, I am grateful for your hard work and sharing your resulting recipes.
This was perfect for our first cold weekend in Michigan. I can't wait to try the Clam Chowder that Emily and her husband enjoyed.
Emily says
My husband went keto in July and I have used so many of your recipes! Now that it is finally cooling off, I bought the soup e-book, and we have tried 2 of the recipes so far. Both have been absolute hits!! He rated the Broccoli Cheddar 4.5 out of 5, almost perfect! The only reason he didn’t give it 5 stars is because we had the clam chowder last night and he said that was top of the line, best thing ever. Thanks so much for the awesome recipes!!
Sarah Walters says
This soup was absolutely delish! I had a bag of riced cauliflower,/broccoli/carrot mix that needed to be used up, so I used that along with the rough cut broccoli. Easy to put together and everyone (even the picky kids) loved it. It made so much that I was able to share with my mom and neighbors. Will for sure work this one into the rotation.
Carly says
This was fantastic! I think I had to have made it at least every other week this winter. It's terribly easy and heats up perfectly!
Sally says
Great recipe! I make it in the crockpot so it’s super easy. Sometimes I even put cauliflower in too, because why not?! Definitely add the cream and cheeses in the last hour.
Susan H. says
This was delicious!
Denise Kemp says
I put all my ingredients together and forgot the cheese goes in last. Do you think it will ruin the soup?
Kyndra Holley says
It won't ruin it, but I would cook it for longer and at a lower temperature