Light Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Soup (Lower Fat)
"When I ran across Chef #55221's recipe for Recipe #155375, I thought it sounded like something my family would love. Being on a "lower fat" diet, there was no way I could make it as written though. I was really pleased with how well the recipe modified to meet my dietary needs. It was still rich and delicious, and everyone loved it. Here is my lightened up version."
photo by DianaEatingRichly
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
8-10
ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced (1/2 Tbls)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1⁄4 cup light butter
- 3⁄4 cup flour, divided
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 quart fat-free half-and-half
- 1 1⁄2 cups reduced-fat parmesan cheese, cheese topping
- 2 cups water
- 16 ounces broccoli florets, prepared
- 3 cups boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
- 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1 dash nutmeg (optional)
- 6 ounces farfelle bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions
directions
- In a heavy stockpot over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add light butter and 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes until bubbly. Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour to a small amount of chicken broth and stir to remove lumps. Gradually whisk in flour and broth combo, plus remaining chicken broth and half & half; cook, stirring frequently, until thickened.
- Meanwhile, steam broccoli (I use the steamer bag in the microwave) or cook broccoli in a separate pan with 2 cups of water just until form and not soft. Remove from heat and do not drain cooking water from broccoli.
- Add Parmesan cheese topping to soup-base in stockpot; cook over low heat, stirring, just until cheese is melted; add steamed broccoli and 2 cups of water (or cooked broccoli along with its cooking water), chicken, seasonings, and bow tie pasta to the stockpot; heat through.
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Reviews
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good but English could be more simple -
What a fabulous recipe!! I've never had a soup like this before, so this was a wonderful treat. I couldn't make myself use the green-canned parmesan, so fresh full fat parm was put to good use. I also couldn't find light butter...regular went in. Nonetheless, each bite was full flavored and delicious. Thanks so much for lightening this version up for us, Marg. Mmmmm... -
I made this soup with leftover roasted chicken and frozen broccoli florets. So good! I served it over some mini ziti pasta and my boyfriend just loved it. You'd never know it was low-fat. -
Very happy how it all tasted, prepared very close to directions. My changes aren't enough to bother noting here---dashes and dabs of dierences. The one thing I would change is knock back 1/4 cup on flour in that second divided use of flour. I thought it made it too thick. So much so I sent DH out to buy a pint of the half & half and there was no fat-free to be found in two stores. I used what we had---almond milk. The addition diluted the salt-seasoning balance I was so happy w/, even able to pick up on the hint of nutmeg. I didn't want to reheat the whole thing just to restore it all, so we'll fix up our own soup bowls when served. But, overall, this is a very enjoyable soup. I poached my 2 half breasts in a pan w/ the 4 cups of broth, reserving the broth to use as directed. Once the broccoli is steamed, the pasta boiled and the chicken cooked, the recipe goes together fairly fast. -
Pretty good,fat free half and half seemed to work quite well but I used regular Parmesan I grated. I used about half the chicken cooked in a bit of broth and 12 oz. bag of steam in the bag broccoli which I chopped after and the amounts were plenty. I used ditalini pasta and added some Better than Bouillon so I omitted the salt, couple shakes of crushed red pepper and Mrs. Dash with the nutmeg and black pepper is what I had and bit of Worcester sauce. Didn't add the 2 cups of water though I might need to add some broth when reheating. Had some mushrooms I planned to add but forgot. Maybe next time.
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Tweaks
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I just used regular half and half and Parmesan, not worried about low fat.
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This soup is amazing!<br/>I had to change a few things because I'm in Italy and some of the ingredients are not available in the supermarkets like in the US though...<br/>I used two Tbsp of cream and four of partially skimmed milk instead of the half-and-half, used turkey breast because I didn't have chicken, a vegetable boullion in two cups of water because I didn't have chicken stock, and instead of parmesan used grated gauda cheese and a dash of sweet paprika to add a little bit of spiciness.<br/>A-MA-ZING! Real comfort food! Delicious! Absolutely a keeper! Thanks for posting!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Marg (CaymanDesigns)
United States
With the changes to the email notifications and removal of private messaging, I am no longer able to respond to questions about my recipes. Yet another feature change that has made the website less user friendly. It's sad to watch a fantastic site deteriorate over the years. Some of my recipes are on my blog.
