Yep, that’s right! Vegan style when the words “creamy” and “cheese” say no no no… While I love soup, my husband is a little more finicky and he cleaned his bowl and sopped up the bottom of the bowl with the last piece of his sourdough bread. Happy Boy!!!! I used my instant pot for this recipe and it came together easily and stayed warm till we were ready to eat. The perfect dish!! My cheese choice was Vegan CHAO shreds, found them at Walmart in the produce aisle, close to salad kits. I really like these shreds because they do not have that “other ” taste that Daiya cheeses have. They are mild and yet give the creamy, cheesy texture we are looking for. My cream choice is coconut milk. I am adding this to my new top 10 soups!!!
While I used my instant pot, you could do this on the stove top too. It will just take a little longer to make. (like in the old days!!!)
In your instant pot:
Sauté your chopped medium onion in 3 Tbl of olive oil. Add 2 cups of chopped carrots. Sauté for 5-7 minutes.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/4 c. of Gluten free flour and 4 cups of veggie broth. Mix the broth in slowly as you stir vigorously to avoid big lumps and clumps. Stir till smooth.
Add 6 c. of broccoli florets, 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp Dijon mustard…. pressure cook for 8 minutes and do an immediate release of steam. (Be careful when releasing steam… use a long handled wooden spoon to move the switch to release. The steam is HOT HOT HOT and steams your glasses if you’re not careful!) I used an immersion blender to blend my veggies and broth. You can leave your veggies bigger if you want to bite something rather than sip.
Add: 3 cups of Chao cheese shreds… stir to melt the cheese and then add 1 can of coconut milk. (shake the can vigorously before opening to blend the cream and the water) Salt and Pepper to taste (start with 1 tsp @ of salt and pepper)
Keep the setting on warm till you are ready to eat… I had a couple more carrots I needed to use and was probably 1/2 c. short on broccoli so my soup looks more orange than green but it tastes like broccoli soup. I baked one of those “take it home and bake it loaves” of sourdough bread to round out my husbands’ dinner. I was perfectly satisfied with my CREAMY, CHEESY hot bowl of pure YUM!!!!!
*** Addition to original recipe are sautéed mushrooms in wine and Dairy free butter. I happened to have some mushrooms that needed to be used so threw them in a skillet with 1 TBL of Dairy free butter and 3 TBL red wine and a dash of salt. Cooked them till most of the moisture was absorbed (6-7 minutes) . I added these to the soup after using the immersion blender. ( If you use shredded carrots, you will not have to use the blender. There will still be some substance for chewing rather than just sipping your soup. ) This soup has moved up on my priority list with the addition of mushrooms. They made that big of difference. TRY IT!!!! 🙂
*** I like my soup a little less thick, so add more broth for the consistency I like.
I love broccoli cheese soup and have not had it for so long, going to try this one! Also, looking forward to trying that vegan cheese, I haven’t had that one. Thanks!
Yea!!! I honestly think you will enjoy this soup and that cheese is the best one to have on hand. It’s creamy, melts well and keeps your recipe more to original taste. I got used to the Daiya cheese and really like the pepperjack shreds but if I’m doing a recipe for non-vegans or friends not used to those types of cheeses, I use the Chao. If you like a little heat, sriracha sauce is a nice addition to this soup too. 🙂