The Crock-Pot Soup That Katie Austin Swears Is the Best Fall Comfort Meal

With colder weather on its way, now is the time to pull out your slow cooker, according to the fitness influencer.

Katie Austin.Gotham/Getty Images

We all know the power of a good homemade soup in the fall and winter. Whether you are under the weather or are just indulging the atmosphere dictated by the cold weather outside, soup is a must-have during the coming months.

In that vein, fitness influencer and recipe developer Katie Austin is back with another of her seasonal favorites: creamy, healthified chicken broccoli cheddar soup. She shared the fall recipe on her Instagram page along with a sentimentally sweet message about her fond memories associated with the dish.

“Broccoli cheddar soup reminds me of my childhood, and always has the most comforting feeling!” she said. “THIS version is higher in protein with the chicken, and it actually had FIVE different veggies in it—using the potato [and] cauliflower to make it creamy.”

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Below is Austin’s new and improved step-by-step recipe for chicken broccoli cheddar soup.

Season and slow cook the chicken and vegetables for four hours

To the Crock-Pot, add 1 pound of chicken, one large potato, half a diced onion, 48 to 54 ounces of chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 tablespoon each of salt, nutmeg, paprika and garlic powder.

Cook for four hours.

Shred the chicken and blend the rest

After it has cooked, remove the chicken from the Crock-Pot and shred it into bite-sized pieces. With the chicken removed, use an immersion blender to blend the remainder of the contents in the pot. Return the shredded chicken to the now-blended soup.

Add more veggies, cheese and heavy cream

Dice up 12 ounces of broccoli and shred 1 cup of carrots and throw it into the pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese—Austin used both sharp and white cheddar, but any will do—and 1/3 cup of heavy cream.

Cook for two hours

Let the soup simmer for another two hours in the Crock-Pot prior to serving. If you want, garnish with cheddar and parsley when serving.

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