Creamy Broccoli Bacon Chowder
 
 
THM:S, low carb, gluten/egg/nut free
Author:
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 2-3 lb. fresh bacon
For the soup:
  • 2 T. salted butter
  • 1 med. onion (chopped)
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • -
  • 2 lb. cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 lb. broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
  • 3 c. chicken broth
  • 3 c. water
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • -
  • 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1½ c. cottage cheese
  • 8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
Instructions
  1. I like to fry the bacon while I make the soup. However you decide to do it, fry, drain, and crumble the bacon before serving the soup. The bacon will be added as a garnish on top. (See Notes section for an alternate method.)
  2. To make the soup, sauté the garlic and onion in the butter in a large soup kettle until nice and brown.
  3. Add the cauliflower, broccoli, chicken broth, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat until the soup is lightly bubbling and cook until the vegetables are tender.
  4. When the vegetables are tender, turn the heat down to low, wait until the soup stops bubbling (you may want to take it off the heat for a bit to expedite the process), and add the cheese, cottage cheese, and cream cheese. Let them melt for a bit, then use an immersion blender to puree everything to a smooth consistency. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes, taste and add more salt if necessary, then serve with bacon bits and additional shredded cheese as a garnish.
Notes
If you don't want to mess with frying bacon, you could just stir some real bacon bits into the soup at the very end. (Whatever amount will please your family.) I thought the freshly-fried crunchy bacon on top added good texture, but we've tried it both ways and both are good.
If your family wants a little texture in the soup, you could remove some (not all) of the broccoli and cauliflower from the pot right before melting the cheeses in the broth and pureeing everything smooth, then add them back in at the end.
I used an immersion blender so I wouldn't have to worry about the pressure buildup that can happen when blending hot liquids in a regular blender, but you can use a regular blender if that's what you have. You'll probably have to blend the soup in several batches. Be sure to vent the blender as necessary to relieve pressure.
Recipe by Briana Thomas at https://www.briana-thomas.com/creamy-broccoli-bacon-chowder/