Made from leftover mashed potatoes, there are four good reasons to love this Broccoli cheddar soup recipe - it is gluten-free, vegetarian, tastes just like the Panera version and needs only 20 minutes when you make it in an Instant Pot!
Set the Instant Pot to 'Sauté' mode and adjust the setting to ’Normal'. When the display reads 'Hot', add oil.
Add bay leaves, followed by chopped onions and minced garlic. Sauté till the onions are soft and translucent.
Add broccoli florets and carrots. Mix well.
Add vegetable broth and stir it in.
Cover the lid, move the vent to "sealing" and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, do a quick release i.e move the steam valve to "venting".
Open the lid.
Set the Instant Pot to use the Saute function and set it on 'Less'.
Add mashed potatoes to the soup and stir it in.
The cheese goes in next, 1/4 cup at a time so that it doesn't become one clumpy mess.
Do a taste test and add salt and pepper if needed. The mashed potatoes have both salt and pepper so that's why I save this step for the last.
To garnish, use green onions or any green herbs of your choice.
Serve it immediately with bread or have it as is.
Notes
Notes/ Tips
I used 3 cups of vegetable broth in all. I would recommend starting with 2.5 cups broth and adding more as needed.
Use storebought julienned carrots to save time instead of shredding carrots at home.
This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and upto a month in the freezer. Refer to the detailed instructions in the post.
Stovetop instructions
In a large saucepan kept over medium heat, add oil.
Add bay leaves, followed by chopped onions and minced garlic. Sauté till the onions are soft and translucent.
Add broccoli florets and shredded carrots. Mix well.
Add vegetable broth and stir it in. Continue to cook till the broccoli florets have softened.
Add mashed potatoes and blend them in. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
The cheese goes in next, 1/4 cup at a time so that it doesn't become one clumpy mess.
Do a taste test and add salt and pepper if needed. The mashed potatoes have both salt and pepper so that's why I save this step for the last.
If you love to garnish, use green onions or any green herbs of your choice.
Serve it immediately with bread or have it as is.
Variations
This recipe calls for fresh broccoli but you can substitute it with frozen as well. Reduce the pressure cooking time to 2 minutes.
If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes, you can replace it with 2 medium-sized Idaho® potatoes. Dice them into cubes and add it along with the shredded carrots and broccoli. They will soften when pressure cooked for 5 minutes. Use the back of your ladle to mush them.
I have only used sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe, you could try white cheddar or parmesan cheese as well.
You can puree the soup if you would like, I prefer them chunky.