How to Make the Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe at Home
The Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese Soup is popular because it is possible to eat a favorite soup while still staying on plan. How do you make the Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe at home? It’s surprisingly easy once you get all of the necessary ingredients.
The Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
When you’re ready to make soup, you can take advantage of the Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe, which is found on the Weight Watchers website.
There are a few ingredients you’ll want to have ready:
- Olive oil
- White onions
- Frozen broccoli
- Canned chicken broth
- Low-fat cheddar cheese
- Fat-free skim milk
- Garlic powder
- Cornstarch
Once you have all of the ingredients, you will be able to make the soup – and in just three easy steps.
Directions
Step 1: heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Once hot, add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Then, add in the broccoli and broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer until the broccoli is tender.
Step 2: Reduce the heat to low. Add in the cheese and stir until melted. Then, mix in the milk and garlic powder.
Step 3: Whisk the water and cornstarch together in a separate bowl. Then, drizzle that mixture into the soup and mix. Allow the mixture to thicken as it simmers.
Once the soup has reached the thickness that you want, it’s ready to serve.
You’ll have enough for four, so invite others to join you or save the rest for leftovers.
What Are Ways to Garnish the Broccoli Cheese Soup?
If you want to pretend as though you’re dining in a fancy restaurant, you may opt to garnish your soup with an ingredient or two.
Diced red bell peppers will add a bright color and also a bit of sweetness.
Diced jalapenos will add in a bit of spiciness. If you want even more heat, try chipotle, habanero, or serrano peppers. Just a small amount will be all that you need.
Other ingredients that you can sprinkle on top include:
- Freshly grated low-fat cheese (cheddar, jack, or Colby)
- Diced green onions
- Paprika
- Dry mustard
- Salt and pepper
- Bacon bits
- Croutons
Adding a number of ingredients can help you to personalize the soup so that it is more your own. It can also lead to a heartier bowl of soup so that it fills you more effectively.
Get creative so that every bowl of Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese soup tastes a little different.
What is the Points Value of the Broccoli Cheese Soup?
The point value for any food that you eat while on Weight Watchers is important to track. You don’t want to get into a situation where you repeatedly go over your points.
If you make the recipe exactly the way that it is called for, it will be four points.
It may end up being 2-4 points (or more) more than that, however, if you use full-fat milk and/or full-fat cheese. Additionally, if you add any garnish to the soup, it can also increase your points. As such, be honest about what ingredients are being added so that you can get an effective calculation.
You can also use a points calculator to help you determine how many points you should be consuming on a daily basis.
Are There Alternative Ways to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup?
There are plenty of ways to make broccoli cheese soup. Weight Watchers uses a bit of cornstarch to help with thickening the soup without adding too many points. Additionally, there’s the use of fat-free milk and low-fat cheese. Plus, frozen broccoli is used for overall convenience.
Change the Milk
You have the ability to change out the milk to virtually anything you want. For example, if you have a lactose allergy, you may want to get a lactose-free milk or dairy alternative to use in the soup.
Fat-free milk is going to be very thin, which is why cornstarch is used. If you want something a bit thicker, you can use half & half or even heavy cream. The reason that Weight Watchers doesn’t use either of these, however, is because it will add to the calorie and fat count.
Change the Cheese
There are so many cheeses that you can use beyond cheddar, so get creative.
To stay within the point value for Weight Watchers, be sure that it is low-fat. Any full-fat cheese can double or even triple the point value of your soup.
Smoked gouda is a popular option because of the smoky flavor that it offers.
Try a few different kinds of cheese each time you make the soup to decide which one is your favorite.
Use Fresh Broccoli
The original Weight Watchers recipe calls for frozen broccoli. This is done because it’s easy to work with. If you prefer to use fresh broccoli, it can be a simple substitute.
- Clean the full head of broccoli thoroughly
- Cut away the stems so that you have mostly florets
- Let the broccoli simmer in the broth for a little longer until the tenderness you desire is reached.
Be sure that if you use fresh broccoli, you don’t boil it. Letting it simmer will allow the broccoli to cook without leaching out the water-soluble vitamins found in broccoli – such as folate and vitamin C.
How Do You Store Leftover Broccoli Cheese Soup?
If you make the Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese soup recipe and have leftovers, there’s no reason to toss what remains. Instead, there are a few ways that you can store it.
First, allow it to cool completely. Then, transfer the soup into containers that are resealable. You can even use Ziploc storage bags if you don’t have airtight containers.
If you’re going to eat the soup within one to three days, store the soup leftovers in the refrigerator. If you’ll need more time, store the soup in the freezer for up to three months. Be sure to label the container with the contents and the date.
When it comes to reheating the soup, you can pour the soup into the microwave and heat it for approximately two minutes. You can also empty the contents of the container into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer for a few minutes.
If the reheated soup looks too thick, you can choose to thin it down with a little bit of nonfat milk or chicken broth.
Once the soup is ready, pour it into bowls, garnish, and serve hot.
