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Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham

Name: Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 370 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces frozen broccoli florets; 1 whole medium onion, diced; 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces; 2 whole carrots, peeled and diced; 4 cups low sodium chicken broth; 1 cup water; 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of celery soup, NOT diluted; ½ teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed; 2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese; 12 ounces about 2 cups diced cooked ham**

Published: Dec 19, 2016 by Blair Lonergan

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A super creamy and comforting Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup! This cheddar soup is full of flavor, and it's great way to use up leftover ham. Make a batch for an easy slow cooker dinner recipe, or stash it in the refrigerator for quick lunches.

For as long as I can remember, my Mom has served a ham on Christmas Day. Don't you just love holiday traditions? It's fun to anticipate certain treats that we might not otherwise enjoy throughout the year, and a ham (with Dad's homemade biscuits) is definitely one of those fond childhood memories that I have continued with my own family.

Even better, since Mom knows how much we enjoy the ham, we almost always come home with plenty of leftovers to stash in the freezer, to use on sandwiches, or to toss into a soup. Ham, cheese and broccoli are the perfect combination, so I combined them all in this simple and satisfying Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup!

How to make Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup:

This slow cooker soup only requires about 10 minutes of prep! Loaded with veggies, potatoes, ham, and cheese, it's a true one-pot meal that the entire family enjoys!

You'll need the following ingredients:

Frozen broccoli florets (or about 3-4 cups fresh broccoli florets)
Onion
Potato
Carrots
Chicken broth
Water
Cream of celery soup
Velveeta cheese and cheddar cheese
Ham
Salt and pepper

First, place frozen broccoli florets, onion, potato, carrots, chicken broth, water, cream of celery soup, salt and pepper in a Crock Pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for about 3 hours. When the vegetables are really tender, use a handheld stick immersion blender to puree some of the soup (leaving some of the chunky vegetables for texture). If you don't have a stick blender, you can transfer about 1-2 cups of the soup to a regular blender or food processor, puree until smooth, and then return to the slow cooker and combine with the rest of the soup.

Then stir in the cheeses and the ham, continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese melts. The end result is an easy, cheesy Velveeta Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

What goes well with Broccoli Cheddar Soup?

Just like at Panera, we enjoy this homemade soup with a side of crusty French baguette! Buttermilk biscuits or cornbread are also great options.

If you'd like to add more vegetables to the meal, try serving the soup with a simple green salad dressed in a homemade Buttermilk Dressing.

Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:

Instead of the frozen broccoli florets, you can prepare fresh broccoli cheddar soup. Simply substitute with about 3-4 cups of fresh broccoli florets.
If you don't have leftover ham, you can purchase smoked ham steaks at the grocery store. These are typically found in the same aisle as the lunch meat.
You can omit the ham, if you prefer a vegetarian soup. You'll also want to make the broccoli cheddar soup without chicken broth -- substitute with vegetable broth instead.
For another protein option, substitute with 1 lb. of ground beef (cooked and drained), 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken or 2 cups of cooked, chopped turkey.
This soup is not low-carb or keto-friendly, as it contains 9 grams of carbohydrates per cup.
To prevent your broccoli cheese soup from becoming grainy or curdled, you want to make sure that the soup doesn't get too hot (the LOW setting on the slow cooker is a great way to make sure that this doesn't happen). You don't want to boil the soup, or the proteins in the cheese tighten up, squeeze out the fat, and give you that unpleasant curdled texture.
Can broccoli cheese soup be frozen? Yes! This is a great prep-ahead freezer meal. To freeze the soup, simply allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Package in airtight containers or in Ziploc freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup: Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Place soup in a saucepan and warm over low heat until the soup reaches desired temperature. Be careful not too boil the soup -- you don't want it to get too hot and curdle.

More easy Crock Pot soups that you might enjoy:

Spoon scooping up bite of Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese soup

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