Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham & Cauliflower Soup
This Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham & Cauliflower Soup is thick, rich and comforting. Plus, it’s an easy, low-carb meal the whole family will enjoy!
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Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham & Cauliflower Soup is a hearty soup made with fresh vegetables, ham, and two kinds of cheese.
It’s everything you love about a thick potato soup, but without the carbs!
This slow cooker soup is LOADED with fresh vegetables! It’s made with a whole head of cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.
Picky eaters will have no idea how many hidden vegetables there are since they get pulverized with an immersion blender!
Ham and cheese work so well together because ham is salty, cheddar is sharp and rich, and together, they’re better than the sum of their parts.
If you like cauliflower, Chickpea Cauliflower Curry and Turmeric Pickled Cauliflower are great ways to prepare it.
Ingredients needed (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Celery
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Ham steak – you could also use leftover ham
- Cream cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Broth – chicken or vegetable
- Seasonings – bay leaf, dried thyme, smoked paprika, salt & pepper
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to serve
This soup is delicious served with focaccia bread, Texas toast, or French bread.
Toppings for Cheesy Ham & Cauliflower Soup:
- Scallions or chives
- Shredded cheese
- Crumbled bacon
- Crispy pieces of fried ham
💡Tips & Tricks
- Cauliflower: Fresh or frozen cauliflower can be used for this recipe. Because the soup gets blended, the textural difference is irrelevant.
- Cheese: I use cheddar cheese because its sharp flavor complements ham so well. Feel free to replace it with another melty cheese if desired.
After the soup is cooked and blended, we add the shredded cheese and cubed ham. Once the cheese melts, it’s ready!
Looking for more soup recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Slow Cooker Cheddar Jalapeno Potato Soup
- Ground Turkey Cabbage Soup
- Spicy Thai Beef Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham & Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower (approx. 1 1/2 pounds) stem & leaves removed, cut into florets
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 2 medium celery stalks chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (1 quart)
- 8 ounces ham steak cubed
- 8 ounce cheddar cheese block freshly grated
- Optional garnishes: chives, scallions, bacon, extra cheese, crispy ham
Instructions
- Add the cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to slow cooker. Sprinkle the dried thyme, smoked paprika, and salt & pepper over the vegetables. Toss a bay leaf on top. Add the cream cheese and broth and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your desired consistency. If you like chunks, feel free to remove some vegetables from the soup before blending and add them back afterwards.
- Add the cheddar cheese and ham to the soup and stir to combine. The soup is ready when the cheese has melted. Garnish with scallions, chives, bacon, or extra cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- The tough core of a cauliflower is edible. A slow cooker soup is the perfect way to use it since we’re going to blend the soup.
- If you’re going to use frozen cauliflower, you’d need about 1 pound.
- I like to use full fat cream cheese when cooking because it melts better than low fat.
- If desired, you can substitute the ham steak with leftover ham.
- Blocks of cheese that you grate yourself don’t have a gritty texture and melt nicely.
- Once cooled, store soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because of the dairy, freezing is not recommended.
This cozy soup is so delicious! Can’t wait for you to try it!