A hearty broccoli cauliflower cheese soup loaded with chunky add ins. Using a few varieties of sausage as well as bacon really ups the flavor!
Now that fall been here for a few weeks, there’s been so many great looking soup recipes being posted all over the internet. My family loves soup year round, but I haven’t made any in a while. So, I figured I better get moving.
The inspiration for this broccoli cauliflower cheese soup comes from a loaded broccoli cheese and potato soup I found at Lil Luna.
In my version, cauliflower is used instead of potatoes. And, I added several types of sausage to make the soup a hearty meal.
You can use just one type of sausage if you’d rather. Just use what you have on hand or made a special blend from your favorites.
I chopped up some Bockwurst, Schublig, and Hungarian sausage to add to the soup.
For those of you who are dairy-free or following a paleo diet, it’s difficult to sub out the cheese in this recipe.
I haven’t tried out any cheese alternatives yet. But, hopefully, in the future, there will be more time for me to experiment.
It doesn’t take long to make this chunky broccoli cauliflower cheese soup with sausage. The broccoli and cauliflower are cooked right in the broth while the meat is cooking.
Once the vegetables are cooked, the meat and other ingredients are added and simmered for less than ten minutes.
Soup is always a comforting dish to come home to after work. Unfortunately, I don’t always feel like cooking right after work.
So, many of my weekends are spent pre-cooking my meals so I can eat them as leftovers in the week.
One day, my schedule will be more organized. I may even have more time to make up a few freezer meals as well.
When possible I like to make my own chicken bone broth. Especially since homemade bone broth is so beneficial.
In fact, many who follow low carb diets drink bone broth to ensure they are getting enough electrolytes and essential minerals.
No time to make your own bone broth? Look for an organic bone broth when shopping in the food stores.
If there’s no time to make it at home, at least buy the good stuff rather than regular broth.
This is a loaded broccoli cauliflower cheese soup. It’s super chunky and eats more like a meal than a first course.
The soup is so filling, you won’t need anything else for lunch or dinner as it’s full of meat and vegetables.
I’m a big fan of soups and stews because they reheat well for me at work. There’s a lunch crock that I keep at my desk.
About an hour or two before lunch time, I just pop the lunch crock container into the crock to get my lunch heated.
You can bet I’ll be making this yummy cheese soup often! It’s super filling and tastes great.
I’ve always been a lover of cream soups and the added cheese is a bonus.
A few of my other favorite low carb soups to make are my cream of chicken with bacon and my cheddar broccoli soups. Both of those are also cream soups.
What’s your favorite soup to warm up to in the colder season?
Low Carb Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup – Gluten Free
Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sausage sliced & quartered
- 1/2 pound broccoli cut in florets
- 1 1/2 pounds cauliflower cut in florets
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 5 slices no sugar bacon cooked to crisp and chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- salt & ground black pepper to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- In a small container, mix onion powder, garlic powder, mustard seed, marjoram, thyme.
- In a saucepan, pour chicken broth then cover and bring to a boil. Add cauliflower and broccoli. Season with a dash of salt and ground black pepper. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large skillet with olive oil, brown sausages. Set aside.
- In the same saucepan with low heat, pour cream and water. Add butter and stir until butter is melted. Add cheese and stir slowly until melted.
- Add cooked sausages and season with half of mixed spices and herbs.
- Toss in cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and broth. Add the remaining mixed spices and herbs. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Combine well. Cover and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer in a serving bowl and top with bacon.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
Need Support?
Get our FREE Low Carb Tips eBook or join the Low Carb Yum Facebook Group for help with recipes and weight loss support!
Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Shirley says
Does this soup freeze well
Lisa MarcAurele says
It does. It should last several months in the freezer.
Jeanne says
OMG! This soup is amazing! I put the bacon in and cooked it with the sausage, used another cup of broth and used Dijon mustard instead of the other. Love it!
Wendy says
This is the best cheesy broccoli/cauliflower soup ever!!!
Lisa MarcAurele says
I agree! It never lasts long in my house.
Afton says
I couldn’t find my marjoram Publix probably has it but I went to the grocery store near my home. What could I use in place of that or would it make a difference if I didn’t use it at all?? Thanks in advance and looks delicious can’t wait!
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s a type of oregano so you can use regular oregano instead.
Dawn says
THis soup is so good I can eat it cold! Will be making it for life.
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s definitely a winner with my family and friends too!
CJ says
Wow what flavor!
I took my immersion blender and just a quick bit to entice it to be thicker. I didn’t do it for a long period, just got some of the cauliflower and broccoli into smaller bits.
It worked great!
We will make this again this fall/winter!!!
Shanna says
I have made this on a few occasions. Last night for a large crowd. Everyone loved it and there were definitely not any leftovers.
Heather says
Can you make this in a crockpot?
Lisa says
You can, but I’d add the broccoli and cauliflower towards the end so they don’t get mushy.
Kim says
Olive oil is listed but I don’t see it added.
Lisa says
It’s used to brown the sausage.
mary kemper says
can I use ham instead of bacon and sausage
Lisa MarcAurele says
Some diced up some ham would be a good sub.
Kelly says
I’m going to make this week end and was wondering if it is freezable?
Lisa says
It should be fine to freeze based on ingredients, but I haven’t tried it.
Kailey says
Was feeling very lazy but wanted a comfort soup for this chilly fall day. Decided to just dump all the ingredients in a pot (after precooking my sausage in said pot) and let it simmer for an hour. So so yummy and so easy. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lisa says
You’re welcome Kailey! Glad you enjoyed the soup.
Emma says
This was really good. I didn’t discard the chicken broth but kept it and mixed with the cream during that stage of the recipe. I also found that I needed to add additional broth once cooked, because it became almost too thick (probably tripled the total broth amount stated). I also subbed ground mustard for the mustard seeds and it was delicious. It’s good with paleo breakfast sausage in place of the kielbasa style sausages. The portions stated are a little over a cup – so, check the numbers if you’re trying to stay in ketosis, and adjust the portion size accordingly.
Lisa says
Good tips!
Amber says
I made this tonight with smoked sausage and Monterey Jack cheese (it was what I had in the fridge). It was delicious!! Will definitely be making again!
Lisa says
So glad you enjoyed the soup Amber!
Gerard Webster says
After it was done cooking I added a bag of make to get some more vitamins and nutrients and it was delicious.
Megan says
Made this with a few tweaks, probably quadrupled the liquid amounts, I also only used one pot, cooked the bacon, then browned the sausage, left the bacon and sausage drippings, added broth and veggies, steamed until almost mushy, blended the veggies/broth until smooth. Added the cream, cheese and sausage and let simmer for a little while. Topped with bacon and green onion. Tasted amazing and tricked my hubby into eating something healthy!!!!!
Nicole says
Hi! Great recipe! I purée about 3/4 to get up to the thick texture that my family loves (more potato-ish). I’m wondering if you’re “served 10” is consistent with the nutrition info. We got 5 bowls out of this, so that would mean doubling the info. Which seems high to me for the ingredients…feedback would be helpful! Thanks again. Yum!
Lisa says
Because this has a lot of vegetable carbs, I keep the serving to a cup size.
Rachel Flossie says
When I put the recipe in my fitness pal exactly as listed I get 17.2 carbs per serving. How did yours calculate so low? I’m scared I’m over carbs now.
Lisa says
I just rechecked the calculation and got similar values. You do need to be careful using MFP. Often, the ingredients are wrong.
Sabrina says
OMGummy!!! I used the same ingredients except I did not have marjoram nor mustard seed. Added some various Italian herbs and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard instead. I also layered the ingredients different from the instructions. This was AmazeBalls good! I did a slight tablespoon cornstarch slurry with water to thicken the soup up. I’m fine with 9 carbs to thicken up a whole pot of soup. Pick and choose your battles.
Thanks for the recipe. Posting this to my various board, like LowCarb and Tried & Approved.
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing the recipe Sabrina!
Karen says
Okay, I didn’t find anyone asking this question, so I will. What kind of “sausage” did you use in this recipe? Was it Kielbasa, or Italian sausage? I was thinking both would be good, but the mild Italian would add more flavor.
Lisa says
The sausage used is at the bottom of the recipe. You can use any sausage, it doesn’t have to be the same kind.
Paulette says
I used regular kielbasa, also omitted the spices because I didn’t have them and it was delicious!
Kenzie powderly says
Are you supposed to drain the broth before adding the cream and butter?
Lisa says
The broth mix is set aside (in another pot or container)
Kenzie powderly says
Do you add the cream butter and cheese to the saucepan with the veggies and broth already in there? Or did you remove the veggies and broth then add it back in?
Lisa says
Without the veggies and broth.
cindy corley says
Okay, so this soup is AMAZING. I cooked it just as the recipe said, and i am telling you, it turned out SO good. I didn’t have a scale, so wasn’t sure how much broccoli and cauliflower to put in – as it was, i probably skimped a little on them and will for sure add more next time……but KETO or not, you have a winner! Thank you for the recipe. Looking forward to having it again soon!
Lisa says
Thanks for letting us know how much you enjoyed the soup Cindy!
Karen says
Oh man. I think I’m in love. I’m not a fan of cauliflower so I always cream it….so I cooked it in the chicken stock and then added a cup of full fat coconut from a can of coconut milk, and water. I also added cream cheese made from cashews. Yum! I browned the sausages and added 1/2 onion and a bunch of asparagus and zucchini……and cooked that up. I added the herbs to the creamed cauliflower (and I tripled the herbs)…….mixed that with the rest and I have the creamiest loveliest soup…… I will enjoy this all week as the weather chills and now I have a great cream sauce base for other soups. I’ll be thinking about clam chowder….maybe salmon chowder….. Next time I’ll add spinach or kale to help me get the greens in. Thank you for a most versatile and delicious recipe.
Lisa says
I’ve cut out dairy so I’m glad to hear that the alternative ingredients worked.
Julie says
Just finished making this and am not even finished eating it yet but had to stop and say how absolutely delicious this is!
Lisa says
Thanks Julie! Glad you loved the soup. 🙂
Glenna says
The label says 10 servings. How much in one serving? I.e. 1 cup portion?
Lisa says
It’s a large cup (a little more than a cup measure).
Jodi Raymond says
Is a serving roughly a cup? looks amazing!
Lisa says
It’s about a cup size or a bit more.
Krista says
Yummy! Where does the olive oil come in though? I didn’t use it because I never found it other than in the list of ingredients.
🙂
Lisa says
It’s for browning the sausages.
Leah says
When I copied the recipe directly from this website into my fitness pal app the carbs are drastically different. The app calculates roughly 16 carbs per serving. Any thoughts?
Leah says
It is absolutely amazing tasting though!
Lisa says
You’ll need to look at each ingredient that was selected in MFP. They are user inputted and some may be inaccurate.
Carly says
Every time I look at My Fitness Pal, they are wrong on carbs. Compare to your ingredients because every time I look through them, they are way off
Robynne says
Use a different sausage, and pay attention to carb intake on broth
Stacie Wilson says
This looks SO good. Perfect for fall weather too. Definitely going to try, thanks for sharing.
Ellen Phlieger says
I’ve made this recipe several times it’s one of my favorites I use many recipes over and over they all seem to turn out perfect
Lisa says
Awesome Ellen! So glad you liked it.
Anne Tisdale says
What kind of sausage did you use? Pre cooked kielbasa or uncooked?
Lisa says
It was a mix of uncooked sausages as listed in the recipe notes.
Marilyn says
I made this tonight. The flavor was good but the cheddar cheese became one big lumb of cheese….even though I put it in grated and in small portions 😑
Lisa says
Some brands of cheese are a little different. Ours did not clump.
Matt B says
This recipe looks good I think it will be dinner tomorrow. I would think that you would get more sausage flavor if you cooked the sausage, removed it, then added the stock and water scrape the bottom of the pan, then veggies and finish with the cream cheese and spices.
Lisa says
That’s probably true!
Vickie says
I was wondering if this soup will freeze well? Thanks for all the low carb recipes- you are a great resource and inspiration!
Lisa says
The broccoli and cauliflower may get mushy after freezing. If that doesn’t bother you, it should be okay.
Linda says
Why drain that tasty broth after cooking the veggies? Why not use the broth as part of the soup’s liquid?
Lisa says
Agree! That’s a mistake that I didn’t catch. Thanks for noticing!