Our food budget is one of the few areas I can really cut back on without sacrificing flavor, health, or taste. Being able to stretch a few dollars is important to most folks and if you’re like me, I need recipes and meals that are quick to make, easy, frugal, and taste like they belong in the blue ribbon winners circle at a county fair.
Because I don’t care how cheap something it so make, if my family thinks it tastes bad, then it was a waste of time and money. This recipe has been in our kitchen for years. It was one of the first soups I learned how to make when my husband and I married.
As I’ve learned how to do things more from scratch and to make them healthier with real food ingredients, it’s had a makeover or two. But my husband still declares it one of his favorite meals ever.
Cooking a large piece of meat, like a whole ham, chicken, or roast is a frugal way to stretch the dollar and create multiple meals. You can almost always purchase a whole chicken cheaper than if you bought each piece individually, plus you have that beautiful carcass left over to make bone broth from. I’ll have eleven whole chickens in three weeks when we butcher our first bunch of meat chickens. Ya can bet I’ll be writing a post or two about that… and maybe a video for the non-squeamish.
Chop all of your ingredients up. Don’t they make a pretty scene with all of those complimenting colors. Hey, cooking is an art form, am I right?
Whisk the corn starch (I use this non-GMO organic cornstarch from our affiliate partner Amazon Rapunzels Pure Organic Corn Starch) with the bone broth in the slow cooker. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the cream.
Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Turn off slow cooker and take of the lid for a few minutes if boiling hard.
Pour in the cream and stir. Serve and try not to devour it all. Two bowl fulls is a must for me… and I may have licked the serving spoon clean afterwards.
Cost break down:
Broccoli=$1.45 (based on $1.70 per pound price)
Ham=$2.00 (based on average price per lb.)
Onion=$0.45
Bone broth=$2.00(if you make your own with left over bones, it’s almost free)
Cream=$1.00
Cheese=$2.50
Total cost=$9.40 dividing by 10 servings equals just $.94 cents a serving, less if you make your own broth or grow your own veggies. You may be able to get more or less servings depending upon your portion size.
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Slow Cooker Cream of Broccoli and Ham Soup-Frugal Supper
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Measuring Utensils
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 cups Bone Broth
- 2 cups Ham diced
- 3 cups Broccoli chopped
- 1/4 cup Onion minced
- 1 cup Shredded Cheese mozzarella, Swiss, cheddar, or queso fresco
- 1 cup Cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients by chopping the broccoli, dicing the ham and onion, and grating the cheese.
- Add the cornstarch and the bone broth to the slow cooker and whisk until smooth.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients except the cream.
- Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Pro-Tip: If the mixture is boiling hard, turn off the slow cooker and remove the lid for a few minutes.
- Just before serving, pour in the cream and stir.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste, and enjoy!
Notes
- Casserole – Mix soup with rice, chicken, and veggies. Top with cheese and bake until bubbly.
- Pasta Toss – Warm soup and toss with al dente pasta. Top with Parmesan and chives.
- Baked Potato Topping – Drizzle reheated soup over a baked potato with crumbled bacon.
- Risotto Upgrade – Substitute chicken broth with soup during risotto cooking for extra creaminess.
- Open-Faced Sandwiches – Spread soup on toast, add cheese, and broil until melted.
Nutrition
Question: I watched your series on sourdough starters. I wrote down all your helpful tips and directions but somehow missed the part about how you know how much to add to a bread recipe and which recipe to look for on your site. Great series, by the way!
Just wondering if you could sub the cornstarch ( yes I know about the non GMO, but still….) and use gelatin instead?
I assume it is for thickening?
The gelatin would also give you some great benefits, while the cornstarch wouldn’t.
Carol,
I believe both gelatin and/or arrow root would work fine.
Ham and broccoli are big with my little guy! This sounds delicious, but we don’t eat dairy in my family (allergies). I’m going to try omitting the cheese and using coconut milk in place of the cream. Thank you for sharing!
Marcie,
You could also use chicken broth with the coconut milk as well.
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[…] Slow Cooker Cream of Broccoli and Ham Soup […]
[…] When cool weather hits I use my slow cooker all the time. When I’m not home I can still prepare food from scratch and serve a home cooked meal, which makes my slow cooker my fave kitchen tool. This is my slow cooker cream of broccoli soup. […]