Cheesy Ham & Brocolli Soup - 10g

My friend made this for a playdate one time and I asked for the recipe between bites while my son and I devoured it. It's so yummy, very quick to throw together and perfect for a fall day!

It does have potatoes, but I just pick out the chunks and leave them for my husband and kids so I'm only eating a little bit of what's been pureed into the soup.

I do not peel the potatoes because there are lots of nutrients in them, I don't want my kids to be picky about not eating the peels and peeling takes a lot of time - which I do not have! I buy the pre-cubed 16 oz package of ham so I get more protein in the soup and don't have to cut the ham up. I also use dried, minced onions and jarred minced garlic so I'm not having to chop those things either. I'm all about time-saving short cuts! Because of that, it literally takes me 15 minutes or less to throw this together in the crockpot.

I do think that the next time I make it, I'll add more broccoli and ham to it so I don't leave my family with basically just potatoes. I should add that I have an 8.5 quart crockpot so I have plenty of room to bulk up my recipes.

 

I just realized what this reminds me of: Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana. It's a less spicy, more garlicy, broccoli-instead-of-kale, ham instead of sausage potato soup... which is basically like a completely different soup, but it has that same feel/similar taste to it. :)

Cheese Ham & Brocolli Soup
I believe it's from Southern Living Busy Mom's Cookbook but I've tweaked this recipe to my own liking.

5 large potatoes, cubed
16 oz ham, cubed
1 medium onion (I use 1/4 cup dried, minced onions)
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth
3 cups brocolli florets
1/2 tsp + salt
3 tsp + minced garlic
3/4 tsp + pepper
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook all ingredients except cheese and cream in crockpot on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low for 6 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.* Food process half the mixture then return to pot and stir in cream and cheese. Cook on low for 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Makes 14 1-cup servings

*I switch this up depending on what my day looks like. You could technically cook it on high the entire time and it'll be done in 3-4 hours or you could cook it all day on low and it'll be done in 6-8 hours.

The counts

These are based on how I make it, and I only put "2 potatoes" into the recipe calculator since I don't eat the chunks in the soup.

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 13.7g
Fiber: 1.5g
*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.