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!

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 10

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings

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

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!

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.

Keyword Cauliflower, Cheese, Ham, Slow Cooker

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