Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Gluten-Free)

Last Updated on December 10, 2024 by Carrie Korem, FNTP

Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a comforting and nutrient-dense soup to warm you up from the inside out!

This broccoli cheddar soup is gluten-free and is a combination of: unsalted butter, onion, salt and pepper, broth, chicken, broccoli, cream cheese and arrowroot.

You can use bone broth or meat stock for this soup depending on your preference.

Meat stock is a great option for those who can’t tolerate bone broth, or who are just in the beginning stages of healing their gut, thyroid or immune system.

Meat stock, is especially rich in gelatin and free amino acids like proline and glycine. These amino acids, along with the gelatinous protein from the meat and connective tissue, are particularly beneficial in healing the connective tissue in the lining of the gut.

Bone broth is different from meat stock because it’s cooked longer and contains higher amounts of amino acids. Bone broth also contains glutamates which can sometimes be too excitatory for the brain causing negative reactions.

Here’s an analysis on the meat stock and bone broth, and you can see the results here and also read more about the differences between meat stock and bone broth. It’s pretty interesting to see the differences!

I personally recommend using meat stock for the first 3-4 months that you’re on a healing diet. Then switch to bone broth once you’ve seen many of your symptoms improve. Or, if you’ve been on a healing diet for a while, but notice negative symptoms are popping back up, or are going through a stressful time of life, I would switch to meat stock until things improve.

When it comes to broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, they can be a part of a thyroid healing diet, but the key is to cook them. Cooking reduces the goitrogens and also reduces oxalates and lectins in other vegetables. So, if you cook your vegetables, you don’t need to worry about these kinds of things in your food.

Here are some additional nourishing soups that you might enjoy!

Green Chile Chicken Stew
Lemon Chicken and Vegetable Soup 
Creamy Tomato Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup 
White Bean and Ham Soup 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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• Author: Carrie Korem, FNTP
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 35
• Total Time: 50
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: soup
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 onion, chopped fine 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse Celtic sea salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 3 cups bone broth or meat stock 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 pound broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoons arrowroot flour

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Instructions

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Put the lid on and let the onions sweat for 20 minutes. Add in the broth, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and broccoli and bring to a simmer. Cook until chicken is cooked through. 

Using a pair of tongs, remove the chicken and about half of the broccoli pieces and place in a bowl. 

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Stir the cream into the pot. 

Toss the cheeses and arrowroot together, add to the pot and then blend using a hand immersion blender. Add the shredded chicken and remaining broccoli back to the pot and stir to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve.