Savory Tooth

Simple Tasty Recipes

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Updated Published Jan 27, 2020 By 5 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Summary:
Made in a single pot on the stovetop, this flavorful soup is full of chopped vegetables in a creamy base made of broth and cream cheese. With over 75% of calories coming from fat, it’s perfect for anyone on a keto or low carb diet.
vegetable soup served in white bowl

Vegetable Soup

5 from 2 votes
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 ribs celery, finely chopped (Note 1)
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped (Note 1)
  • 1 onion, finely chopped (Note 1)
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (Note 2)
  • 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese (Note 3)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 teaspoons table salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For Finishing:

  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (Note 4)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Soften Cream Cheese: Cut cream cheese into 8 cubes. Set aside to soften while you work on the rest of the recipe.
  • Cook Veggies: Heat olive oil in large pot (Note 5) over medium-high heat until very hot, a few minutes. Add celery, carrots, onions, salt, and black pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste until incorporated and fragrant, about 1 minute. You may notice flavorful browned bits collecting on bottom of pot.
  • Make Soup Base: Add broth to pot, and briefly scrape along bottom to loosen any browned bits. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium. Vigorously whisk cream cheese cubes into soup until fully incorporated (Note 6), about 5 minutes. Reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer uncovered to let flavors combine, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. The soup should be smooth and creamy, with a pale orange color.
  • Finish & Serve: Turn off heat. Stir in bell pepper (Note 7) and parmesan cheese until well-mixed, about 1 minute. Serve (Note 8), passing around extra parmesan cheese for topping.

NUTRITION

Makes 8 Servings
Amount Per Serving (1 cup):
Calories 210  
Total Fat 18g 28%
   Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 44mg 15%
Sodium 820mg 34%
Net Carb 5g  
Total Carb 6.5g 2%
   Dietary Fiber 1.5g 6%
   Sugars 2.5g  
Protein 9g  
Vitamin A 61% · Vitamin C 26% · Calcium 21% · Iron 4%

PHOTOS

vegetable soup served in white bowl
vegetable soup in dutch oven
using a ladle to serve vegetable soup

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Celery, Carrots, Onions. Use mirepoix to save you the time and effort of chopping vegetables. Mirepoix is a package of pre-chopped onions, carrots, and celery that you can often find in the refrigerated produce section of U.S. supermarkets.
(2) Chicken Broth. Substitute with vegetable broth to turn this into a vegetarian soup. I use chicken broth for two reasons: better flavor and lower carbs. At my local grocery store, I’m able to find chicken broth with zero carbs, but not vegetable broth. If you’re looking for an extra creamy soup, reduce broth to 3 cups for something more chowder-like with a greater ratio of vegetables in it.
(3) Cream Cheese. I use regular, full-fat cream cheese by Philadelphia. This is the key ingredient that lends a thick and smooth consistency to the soup, and delivers great keto macros (75% of the calories in this soup comes from fat).
(4) Parmesan Cheese. Same as 4 ounces weight. This is the kind of parmesan that has a sandy or almost powdery texture. Not shredded.
(5) Large Pot. I use a 6-quart dutch oven.
(6) Whisking. Initially, you’ll see many white cream cheese bits, but eventually they will dissolve after enough whisking. A whisk helps incorporate cream cheese into the soup so that it melts evenly. If you simply stir instead, it can take a long time to achieve the desired effect or not at all, ending up with white lumps of cream cheese in your soup. It’ll still taste good, but might look unappetizing.
(7) Bell Pepper. The bell pepper is added last so that it retains some juicy crunch and bright green color.
(8) Serving. Serve this soup for lunch or dinner alongside parmesan crisps, a simple salad, or keto garlic knots. Have extra parmesan cheese to pass around the table for topping the soup — it adds a sharp complex flavor. If you have soup leftovers, cover and store in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or bring to a simmer on the stove.

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About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes, mostly low carb and gluten free. Learn more.

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Jamila Encke

Soooooo Yummy!!!! I skipped the bell pepper and Parmesan because I didn’t have any, but it still turned out SOOOO YUMMM!!! it tastes like pink sauce but with veggies instead of pasta and it just all goes soooo good together.

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1 year ago
Martin

I’m just wondering about the photo. If the soup is basically finely chopped mirepoix with finely chopped green pepper added, what are all of those giant vegetable chunks in the photo? Is that all garnishing?

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17 days ago
Julia

The vegetable chunks in the photo are the ones listed in the ingredients list. The vegetables don’t appear gigantic to me… there is a spoon in the first photo to compare with.

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16 days ago
Alice Sharping

I am not a big soup eater, but I LOVED this one. I added cooked chicken and chicken sausage for my guests, and they wanted the recipe. This weekend, I’m making it for a vegan friend so will sub out vegan cream cheese for cream cheese, vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and nutritional yeast for the Parmesan. I am stingy with five stars, especially for soup, but this one earned it!

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11 months ago
Judy

My mouth is watering already. Thanks for all the yummy recipes. I am glad I found your site. Thanks again.

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1 year ago
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