Soup can be the cornerstone of a delicious, hearty meal -- after all, what's more heavenly than a large, steaming bowl of creamy soup with a salad and a hunk of French bread? The downside: cream soups usually have lots of calories and an ample amount of fat. But if you're watching your calorie and fat intake, don't despair -- DIY's Dr. Gourmet has a healthy version of one of the best-loved cream soups, broccoli-cheese ....
This recipe has roughly half the calories and fat of its traditional counterpart, and every bit of the flavor. While a typical broccoli-cheese soup usually has around 420 calories and 30 grams of fat, this version weighs in at only 247 calories and 12 grams of fat ... low enough to make room for some scrumptious French bread and a salad -- with dressing!Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup 2 lbs. broccoli
4 cups water
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, diced
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 tsp. salt
8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded Steps:
- Cut the crowns from the stems of the broccoli. Divide the crowns into small flowerets and set aside. delicious
- Using a potato peeler peel the stems until the tender center is exposed. Dice the peeled stems. Place them in a stock pot with the four cups of water on high and boil until tender. This will take about 30 minutes and the water will be reduced by about half.
- While the stems are boiling, steam the flowerets until bright green, but still slightly tender. After cooling, finely chop.
- Once stems are soft, puree in a blender or use a stick blender until smooth.
- Place the olive oil in a medium stock pot over medium high heat and add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium and cook slowly until soft. Add the flour and stir until well blended. Add the milk and stir. Add the pureed broccoli stems and half of the chopped broccoli flowerets and salt.
- As the soup thickens, blend it again, using a blender or stick blender.
- Add the remaining finely chopped broccoli flowerets and stir. As the soup reheats, add the cheese in 3 batches and allow it to melt.
- Cook for about 15 minutes and serve.
Serving Size: About 12 ounces as an entree (8 ounces as a first course)
Servings: 6 (9 as a first course) Calories: 247 *
Calories from fat: 108* *Entree portion Nutrition Facts Total Fat: 12g - 18% DV
Saturated Fat: 7g - 35% DV
Cholesterol: 33mg - 11% DV
Sodium: 606mg - 25% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 18g - 6% DV
Dietary Fiber: 5g - 25% DV Protein: 18g
Vitamin A, 58% DV
Vitamin C, 238% DV
Calcium, 46% DV
Iron, 9% DV
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