Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Soup

Autumn is undoubtedly my favorite time of year, which brings us changes and expectancy. Before we know it, we’ll be planning holiday gatherings and doing last minute Christmas shopping. I personally anticipate the cooler temperatures. With nippy weather quickly approaching we can look forward to warm sweaters, fireplaces, and soup!  Who doesn’t love soup on a chilly day? (And in a worst case scenario, if it tastes horrid, you can always pour it in your lap to stay warm.)

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.  I first fell in love with this wonderful soup while visiting my aunt. Afterwards I was determined to find a way to replicate it, yet keep it low-carb.  I scoured the internet looking for something I could start with and finally stumbled upon the base for this soup. It was then as simple as tweaking until I had the final result.

My broccoli, ham and cheese soup has since been printed, with my permission, in Dana Carpender’s fantastic cookbook 500 More Low-Carb Recipes. She’s also featured it in her Lowcarbezine! newsletter.

Amy Dungan’s Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Soup

• 3 cups steamed broccoli, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped, cooked ham
• Pepper to taste
• 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1.    Steam your broccoli. (Fresh is better, but frozen works well too.)
2.    In a blender combine 1 cup of the broccoli, the cream cheese, heavy cream and 1/4 cup water.  Blend until smooth. 
3.    Pour into large saucepan and add bouillon, pepper, remaining broccoli, mushrooms, ham and rest of water. Simmer over medium heat until mushrooms are soft.
4.    Add cheddar and stir until melted. Serve immediately.

Note: Sometimes we like to add a little more cheese, ham and mushrooms. If you like to overload as we do, be sure to adjust the carb counts. Cooked bacon is also fantastic in this.

Makes 6 Servings:
Per Serving:
Calories: 279
Fat: 25g
Protein: 10g
Carbs: 4g
Fiber: 1g
Net Carbs: 3g