Question: What is your favorite soup at Panera Bread?

The Cheddar Broccoli soup, right? It’s amazing! The best soup ever really… but… the problem is that one cup is 9 WW FreeSytle Smart Points, and one bowl is a whopping 14 WW SP. 🙁

So, I set out to come up with a skinny-fied version of Cheesy Broccoli soup, and I came up with this recipe that is just 3 WW FreeStyle SP per one cup! Some recipes for Cheddar Broccoli soup tell you to use 1/2 cup butter and a big block of Velveeta, but the truth is that it’s just not necessary when making a delicious soup. By using Greek Yogurt to thicken the soup and make it creamy, I didn’t have to rely heavily on the cheese to make the soup creamy, and you will be amazed at what a little bit of cheese can do.

The three cheeses in this soup.

Okay, so what are the three cheeses? Velveeta cheese (but only 2 ounces), shredded cheddar or Colby Jack cheese (I have tried it both ways and liked it both ways), and Goat cheese (nontraditional, I know, but it tastes good, trust me). I can’t wait for you to try this soup so you can experience how rich it tastes even without gobs and gobs of cheese.

WW FreeStyle Smart Points per various serving sizes:

I am counting one cup as one serving, but maybe you will want to eat 1-1/2 or 2 cups, depending on how hungry you are or if you are eating anything with it or not. Assuming you will be eating between 1-2 cups, here is the WW SP breakdown:

1 cup: 3 WW SP
1-1/2 cup: 5 WW SP
2 cups: 7 WW SP

Plus, here is a bonus idea from one of our readers, Vickie:

“This would be really good with california blend veggies..cauliflower/broccoli/carrots, rough chopped so there as bite size veggies in it, and points wouldn’t change.”

Thanks for the idea, Vickie! 🙂

Okay, are you ready to try this yumminess?

Here is what you need:

1 tablespoon light butter
1 small onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups broccoli florets
4 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 ounces Velveeta cheese
1/4 cup reduced-fat crumbled goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Colby Jack cheese or cheddar cheese

Here is what you do:

Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Finely chop broccoli with food processor. Add broccoli and chicken broth to the stockpot. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

(Side note: Have I mentioned lately that I love my Ninja food chopper? I do.)

Meanwhile, stir cornstarch into the Greek yogurt and cut Velveeta cheese into cute little cubes.

Whisk Greek yogurt, Velveeta cheese, goat cheese, and salt into the stockpot. Allow to cook an additional 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Pour one cup of soup into seven bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese.

Makes 7 cups of soup.
One cup is 3 Green, 3 Blue, and 3 Purple points.

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Print Recipe

3 from 2 votes

Skinny Three Cheese Broccoli Soup

3 Green, 3 Blue, and 3 Purple points per serving.

Makes: 7 cups

Calories: 124

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon light butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 ounces Velveeta cheese
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Colby Jack or cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• Finely chop broccoli with food processor. Add broccoli and chicken broth to the stockpot. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir cornstarch into the Greek yogurt and cut Velveeta cheese into cute little cubes.
• Whisk Greek yogurt, Velveeta cheese, goat cheese, and salt into the stockpot. Allow to cook an additional 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.
• Pour one cup of soup into seven bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese.