Rich and creamy crock pot broccoli cheese soup needs to be cooking in your slow cooker! Broccoli cheddar soup is cozy comfort in every bite. With lots of tender broccoli pieces and a creamy cheese broth, this soup will become a family favorite.
Ingredients
½mediumoniondiced
2mediumcarrots shredded, about 1 cup
16ouncesbroccoliabout two medium heads if using fresh
1teaspoonminced garlic
½teaspoonpaprika
1 1/2teaspoonssalt
½teaspoonpepper
32ounceslow sodium chicken broth
4ouncescream cheesesoftened
8ouncescheddar cheese the soup will be much creamier if you shred it from a block rather then use preshredded cheese
1/3cupheavy creamor half and half
Instructions
Chop the onion and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Chop the broccoli roughly into larger pieces. You want to keep the broccoli pieces on the larger side
In the base of the slow cooker add the diced onion, carrots and broccoli. Add the minced garlic, paprika, salt and pepper over the vegetables. Pour in the chicken broth, then place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it to low heat.
Cook the soup on low heat for 3-4 hours.
Cut the cream cheese up into small cubes. Let it soften on the counter for at least 10-15 minutes, then place in a large bowl. Shred the cheddar cheese from a block of cheese, then set to the side.
Remove any large pieces of broccoli from the slow cooker to a cutting board and keep the slow cooker uncovered. Chop up the broccoli until it is bite sized then set to the side.
Add 1 cup of the warm broth a little at a time from the slow cooker to the cream cheese. It is totally ok if there are a few rouge pieces of vegetable in with the broth, but we want to try to remove most of the vegetables before we mix. Use a whisk and mix well while adding the broth a little at a time to melt the cream cheese.
Pour the heavy cream slowly over the cream cheese mixture and mix with a whisk.
Place any broccoli back into the slow cooker. Pour the cream cheese mixture back to the slow cooker. Add the cheddar cheese to the slow cooker, then place the lid on the slow cooker and flip to high heat. Allow it to cook for about 20-25 minutes or until all of the cheese is fully melted.
Flip the slow cooker to keep warm. Serve the soup with a little extra shredded cheddar cheese if desired and enjoy!
Notes
I first made this soup by chopping the broccoli into small pieces before cooking it. The broccoli tends to break down too much and become too mushy for my family. The same thing happened using frozen broccoli.Keeping the fresh broccoli in larger pieces helps to make sure the broccoli is cooked soft but isn't completely falling apart to mush.