On really busy days I like to take advantage of my crockpot and make myself a delicious supper with little to no effort on my part.
With a bit of initial preparation, you basically can just throw everything into your crock pot (slow cooker) and let the crock pot do the work, leaving you hands free to get on with whatever it is that you need to be doing. Crock pot meals are meals that basically cook themselves!
Crock pot cooking is ideal for cooking soups and stews, chilies, etc. A crock pot is an electrical appliance that is composed of an outer electrical heating element which cradles a removable ceramic insert, with a tight fitting lid.
They use low and slow heat to cook your food over a period of several hours, normally having three basic temperatures. High, medium, and low. They really are great for hands-off cookery!
They also come in a variety of sizes from very mini (2.5QT) to large (6 QT), depending on the amount of food and servings you wish to accommodate. They are really handy as well for keeping foods warm and for transporting warm foods to pot luck and covered dish suppers.
The particular model that I have is a mini crock pot. I bought it on Amazon. It has a lid which locks for transportation and is the perfect size for the smaller family. I love it and use it a lot!
This tasty recipe for Broccoli Cheese Soup is one which I discovered on a blog called Eating on a Dime. The ease of prep and small list of ingredients really appealed to me.
The original recipe makes six servings, but I have adapted it to make only 3. I am sure if you were really feeding a crowd, you could double it to make 12 servings!
There was no need for browning or precooking any of the ingredients. You simply just chopped everything and then threw it into the slow cooker, walking away to let it get on with its business.
4 to 6 hours later you add some cheese and cream and walk away again until the cheese melts and heats through. There is no need to puree anything, its a lovely chunky, rich and creamy soup that is no fuss, no muss and incredibly delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CROCK POT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
Very simple ingredients and not a lot of them!
- 2 cups (142g) broccoli, diced small (about 2 small crowns)
- 1 TBS butter
- 2 cups (240g) grated cheddar cheese (I used a mix of medium and strong) (you may want additional cheese to sprinkle on top when serving.)
- 1/4 cup (13g) chopped onion
- 1/4 cup (25g) chopped celery
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
- salt and black pepper to taste
I basically used two small crowns of broccoli to make this soup. I trimmed the stems and then chopped those up into half inch cubes and broke the crowns into small bite sized florets. The onion I chopped very finely, as well as the celery.
I used a good quality chicken stock, one that is made from reconstituting a concentrate with water. Make sure you use a low sodium one as cheese can be rather salty. I did not need to add any seasoning to this soup at all at the end. It was perfect just as is.
I used a mix of medium and strong cheddars. Orange, because that is the main color of cheese over here in North America. Over in the UK, white is the natural color of most cheeses with very few cheeses being dyed orange.
You can use an orange or a white cheddar in this. The color doesn't really matter, just the flavor, so do use a good cheddar with a nice robust flavor. Broccoli is a vegetable that has a pretty strong flavor so you want a cheddar that will stand up to it and not get lost!
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
Other than the initial chopping of everything, this soup basically cooks itself. Every once in a while I like being able to walk away and get on with something else.
Prepare all of your vegetables and put them into the crock pot.Whisk together the chicken stock and cornstarch (corn flour.) Stir this into the vegetables in the crockpot.Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.Uncover and stir in the cream and the grated cheese. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes until heated through and the cheese has melted. Stir again then taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. (I did not need any.)Ladle into hot bowls and serve hot with or without additional cheese sprinkled on top. Delicious!
A part of me was tempted to blitz half of the soup with my hand blender, but the lazy part of me won out and I didn't. It was delicious just as it, kind of like a nice chowder.
It was rich and creamy and delicious. I served myself a nice bowl of it with two slices of toasted and buttered Swedish rye bread. It made for a lovely light supper that I really enjoyed!
If you are a fan of crockpot/slow cooker cookery you might also enjoy the following:
CROCK POT HAM, BEANS AND POTATOES - This is quite simply one of my all time favorite crock pot meals. It is a simple and very delicious meal of Mennonite origin. Cooked long and slow until the meat is falling off the bone and the potatoes and green beans are tender. This is a brilliant combination.CROCK POT CHICKEN AND STUFFING - Simple, no fuss and quite delicious. Chicken breasts are layered in a crock pot along with a quantity of cream soup, cheese, and stuffing crumbs. I make my own stuffing for this and it works beautifully. This is a real family favorite!
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Yield: 3Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinCook time: 6 H & 30 MTotal time: 6 H & 45 MThis delicious soup basically cooks itself. Its easy to pop it into the crockpot in the morning and come home to a delicious light meal, ready and waiting.Ingredients
- 2 cups (142g) broccoli, diced small (about 2 small crowns)
- 1 TBS butter
- 2 cups (240g) grated cheddar cheese (I used a mix of medium and strong) (you may want additional cheese to sprinkle on top when serving.)
- 1/4 cup (13g) chopped onion
- 1/4 cup (25g) chopped celery
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare all of your vegetables and put them into the crock pot.
- Whisk together the chicken stock and cornstarch (corn flour.) Stir this into the vegetables in the crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Uncover and stir in the cream and the grated cheese. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes until heated through and the cheese has melted. Stir again then taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. (I did not need any.)
- Ladle into hot bowls and serve hot with or without additional cheese sprinkled on top. Delicious!
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