Summary:
This simple one-pot soup is filled with tender bites of broccoli, topped with crispy crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. The soup is low carb and gluten free, naturally thickened with cream, cheese, and butter instead of flour.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups chopped broccoli florets (Note 1)
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Note 2)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups water or broth (Note 3)
- 1.5 cups diced onions (1/2 onion; Note 4)
- 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots)
- 1 cup diced celery (3 stalks)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 5 strips bacon
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook Bacon: Place bacon strips in single layer in large pot (Note 5) over medium heat. Flipping occasionally, cook until crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add diced onions, carrots, and celery to pot with bacon drippings. Stirring frequently, cook over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Cook Broccoli: Add broccoli, heavy whipping cream, and water to pot. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as needed to maintain simmer.
- Add Cheese: Gradually stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted and incorporated into soup. Add butter and minced garlic, stirring until butter is melted.
- Thicken Soup & Serve: Simmer until soup is thickened to desired consistency, about 10 minutes. Let soup cool a bit, then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls (Note 6), and crumble bacon on top.
NUTRITION
| Makes 6 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 490 (81% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 45g | 68% |
| Saturated Fat 27g | 135% |
| Cholesterol 134mg | 45% |
| Sodium 390mg | 16% |
| Net Carb 11g | |
| Total Carb 13.5g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.5g | 10% |
| Sugars 6.5g | |
| Protein 13g |
PHOTOS
Amazing soup. I cooked the bacon in my cast iron and left the bacon there. Then added broccoli and all other ingredients. The key for the cheddar to incorporate is to add it last and stir constantly while adding the cheddar slowly! A winner
Can you make this in a crockpot?
omg…delish…Just recently joined keto ..I was always afraid to cook using heavy creams and cheese soups love them but always feeling guilty..excited to get more of your recipes…thank you
I love this soup recipe! I added cauliflower just to get in some more veggies. Absolutely delicious!
This soup was AMAZING! Unfortunately, mine did NOT freeze well…bummer.
Love this soup! Used Kerry Gold cheddar cheese. Only change was I added the bacon to soup during last simmer instead of as a garnish. This is a keeper!
I made this soup last night and it came out absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe. Definitely will be making this soup again!
Planning on making this tonight and doubling it. If I cook 10 slices of bacon, should I keep all the grease or remove some?
I would keep it all. Make sure that all of the ingredients are proportionally doubled, and it should come out great. Enjoy!
Great soup. I used vegetable broth rather than water. And, I put the bacon right in the soup.
This recipe is so good. I added in mild salsa for a spicy taste. It turned out great.
Can I substitute sour cream for heavy cream?
Since there’s a significant amount of heavy cream used in this recipe (2 cups), I wouldn’t recommend completely substituting it with sour cream because it may make a big difference in the resulting taste. If you don’t want to use heavy cream, a closer substitution would be half-and-half.
What can be used in place of bacon grease?
You can replace it with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Butter or any neutral-tasting oil that you have on hand would also work.
Ghee should work well, too!
great recipe!!! will make tonight. Former chef, Dan Flanagan
Thanks Dan, hope you enjoy it!
This was a easy recipe to make very delicious
One of my keepers
I decided not to use bacon and opted in using about 4 tablespoon of olive oil. I was concerned it wouldn’t be as flavorful, but to my surprise it came it really good. Btw can I freeze this soup?
Glad it came out well! I haven’t tried to freeze this so I can’t say for sure. My guess is no because of the cream.
This is not keto if you add flour. Disappointed in your instructions. If you label the recipe keto, follow keto guidelines.
I’m not sure what you’re referring to. There is no flour in this recipe.