If you're looking for a lower carb, lower fat alternative to your favorite broccoli cheese soup, this cream-free version with just 5-ingredients (not counting seasonings) may be the one for you.
Mine didn't turn out as thick as some other variations, but it tastes great and comes together in no time thanks to the InstantPot.
Instead of gobs of high-fat ingredients such as butter and cream, this soup features the creamy goodness of winter squash to help thicken it, and also add just a hint of sweetness. Definitely a winner in my book!
Easy InstantPot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Low Fat Soup?
According to my calculations, each 1-⅓-cups serving has about 139 calories.
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
How to Make Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Ready to make soup
Step 2: Add olive oil to inner pot and press Sauté button. Add the onion and stir occasionally until the onion is translucent and softened, about 3 minutes.
Saute the onions
Step 3: Stir in the the chicken broth, squash, broccoli, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Adding the broth, squash, broccoli and spices to the pot
Step 4: Lock the lid in place and move the steam release handle to Sealing position. Choose Pressure Cook (HIGH Pressure) and adjust the time to 8 minutes.
Lock the lid, select high pressure and set timer to 8 minutes
Step 5: Once the cook time is finished, move the steam release handle to Venting position and quick release the pressure, being careful to not get burned from the steam.
Step 6: Remove the lid and stir in the shredded cheese.
Stirring in the shredded cheddar before pureeing the soup
Puree the soup to desired consistency using a handheld immersion blender (affiliate link) (stick blender) or in batches using your blender (affiliate link). If using your blender, be sure to work in small batches to reduce the chance of getting burned by the hot soup.
Pureeing soup in theVitaMix
Step 7: Ladle, or pour, soup into bowls.
Low calorie broccoli cheddar soup
Step 8: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Substitutions, Variations & Cooking Notes
Make this soup vegetarian by substituting reduced-sodium vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
Substitute any winter squash for the butternut: pumpkin, acorn squash, delicata, spaghetti squash and kabocha would all work well.
Save time by picking up a bag of pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery store—I've seen it available in most stores, including Wal-Mart.
If you use frozen butternut squash, let it thaw in the refrigerator and then drain any excess water before adding to the recipe, otherwise your soup may end up on thin side.
Broccoli cheese soup with shredded cheddar
If you like this healthy broccoli cheddar soup, be sure to check out my other lighter soup recipes, including Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup, St. Patrick Cheddar Soup, Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup, 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup and Skinny Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
If you've made this Low Carb Instant Pot Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Easy Healthy Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ cup fresh grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add olive oil to inner pot and press Sauté button. Add the onion and stir occasionally until the onion is translucent and softened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the the chicken broth, sqash, broccoli, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Lock the lid in place and move the steam release handle to Sealing position. Choose Pressure Cook (HIGH Pressure) and adjust the time to 8 minutes.
- Once the cook time is finished, move the steam release handle to Venting position and quick release the pressure, being careful to not get burned from the steam.
- Remove the lid and stir in the shredded cheese. Puree the soup to desired consistency using a handheld immersion blender (stick blender) or in batches using your blender. If using your blender, be sure to work in small batches to reduce the chance of getting burned by the hot soup.
- Ladle, or pour, soup into bowls.
- Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More WW Friendly Broccoli Recipes
- Savory Broccoli Cheese Muffins
- Crock Pot Broccoli Corn Casserole
- Impossible Bisquick Chicken Broccoli Pie
- 4-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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