I love healthy food and finding and creating healthy recipes. I also love companies that help make eating well a little easier!
That’s one of the many reasons why I love Whole Foods! Their store is full of so many wonderful products and I don’t have to worry about the things I purchase there. I know Whole Foods has high standards and is committed to “real,” natural, healthy, WHOLE food!
So, when I was asked to participate in their “Cook More, Save More” Blogger challenge, I was thrilled! I was asked to create a recipe where each serving is under $4.00.
I’m happy to say I obliterated that challenge!
The recipe I created is for healthy Cheesy Vegetable Soup and Homemade Pita Chips. I calculated the soup to be right around $1.00/serving and the chips to be about 25 cents/serving. Awesome!
This soup is also SOOOO yummy, chock full of a ton of veggies and all of my kids love it! Everyone always loves the Pita Chips too and they go well with everything. They were fabulous dipped in this soup.
I’ve been using a similar Cheesy Vegetable soup recipe for years, however it included some mystery and “frankenfood” ingredients like Cream of Chicken Soup and Velveeta cheese.
I decided to play around with my “old standby” recipe. I replaced the fake ingredients with real ones and also increased the vegetables. I’m happy to say that I love my “new and improved” recipe even more!
I was also happy to go shopping at Whole Foods and stock up on a bunch of fresh, organic produce and ingredients!
I have to say that Whole Foods has a pretty amazing Produce section. There are so many wonderful and unique things!
When I saw all the colorful cauliflower, I just couldn’t resist.
I decided to purchase the purple one (the prettiest!) even though it was quite a bit more expensive than plain ol’ white. The soup is already very low cost, so I thought a little “cauliflower splurge” wouldn’t hurt. 😉
Here are all the things I bought at Whole Foods.
And, here are most of the ingredients you need to make the soup. I already had some of the ingredients at home, so I didn’t need to purchase them.
AND, here’s how you make everything!
Healthy Cheesy Vegetable Soup
- 7 cups water
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillon)
- 1 1/2 cups carrots; sliced
- 1 1/2 cups celery; sliced
- 1 cup onion; diced
- 2 cups potatoes; diced (I used unpeeled Red Potatoes)
- 2 1/2 cups broccoli; chopped
- 2 1/2 cups cauliflower; chopped
- 6 Tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken broth (I used low sodium)
- 1 1/2 cups warm skim milk (I warm mine in the microwave for 1 minute.)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese; shredded
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
Directions:
1. Heat water and bouillon in large pot over medium heat until dissolved.
2. Add carrots, celery, onions and potatoes.
3. Bring to a low boil and cook 15 minutes.
4. Add broccoli and cauliflower.
5. Bring to a low boil and cook 15 minutes.
While everything is cooking, I like to make the “sauce.”
1. Mix flour, salt and pepper in small bowl.
2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the flour, salt and pepper to the butter and mix until blended (it will be quite dry.)
4. Add the chicken broth, a little at a time and mix until blended (I use a wire whisk.)
5. Add the milk, a little at a time and mix until blended.
6. Bring to a low boil over medium-low heat until thickened (be patient and wait until it gets nice and thick!)
7. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add the sour cream and cheese.
8. Mix until the cheese is melted.
9. Add “cheese sauce” to the rest of the soup and stir until combined.
10. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until dissolved. Mix into soup, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Enjoy!
- Serves: 12
- Serving size: 1/12th recipe
- Calories: 199
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 521
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 11
- Cholesterol: 33
- 7 cups water
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillon)
- 1½ cups carrots; sliced
- 1½ cups celery; sliced
- 1 cup onion; diced
- 2 cups potatoes; diced (I used unpeeled Red Potatoes)
- 2½ cups broccoli; chopped
- 2½ cups cauliflower; chopped
- 6 Tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken broth (I used low sodium)
- 1½ cups warm skim milk (I warm mine in the microwave for 1 minute.)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2½ cups cheddar cheese; shredded
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
- Heat water and bouillon in large pot over medium heat until dissolved.
- Add carrots, celery, onions and potatoes.
- Bring to a low boil and cook 15 minutes.
- Add broccoli and cauliflower.
- Bring to a low boil and cook 15 minutes.
- While everything is cooking, I like to make the “sauce.”
- Mix flour, salt and pepper in small bowl.
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour, salt and pepper to the butter and mix until blended (it will be quite dry.)
- Add the chicken broth, a little at a time and mix until blended (I use a wire whisk.)
- Add the milk, a little at a time and mix until blended.
- Bring to a low boil over medium-low heat until thickened (be patient and wait until it gets nice and thick!)
- Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add the sour cream and cheese.
- Mix until the cheese is melted.
- Add "cheese sauce" to the rest of the soup and stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until dissolved. Mix into soup, stirring frequently, until thickened.
- Enjoy!
I used Ezekiel pocket bread for the chips and they turned out so great!
The ingredients in these babies are completely amazing too! If you would like to know how to make the Pita chips, click here for the recipe. I love them!
Whole Foods gave me a gift card to purchase all of the ingredients I used. They also offered to let me giveaway a $50 gift card to one of my readers too! Yay!
You can enter the giveaway below. This giveaway will close Sunday, May 4th at midnight (MST). Good luck!
That soup looks so good. Now you need to start using non-gmo organic only ingredients. When it says All-Natural, it usually isn’t organic non-gmo. And though I LOVE Whole foods, they admittedly don’t sell only Organic non-gmo foods. It is difficult in this world we now live to really eat 100% healthy, but there are ways. Using Almond milk instead of Cow’s milk is one way. Thanks for all you share Melanie. Love your Blog.
I know, it’s so tough to find 100% healthy ingredients! I’m just grateful for stores like Whole Foods because they are a WHOLE lot better than most of the other stores out there! Thanks for your support Kathy. You’re a sweetie.
I love Whole Foods for their hot bar – yum!
Such pretty purple cauliflower! This soup looks good! It’s similar to one of my favorite soup recipes, but I add ham to mine.
I really love this soup and I loved the cauliflower! It was so much fun.
I can’t even drive BY my Whole Foods (2 of them within less than a mile) without having to FIGHT THE URGE TO STOPPPPPPPPPP! GAHHH! It sucks me innnnn. I love it more than sleeping??? OH MY and that’s saying something!
I hear ya! You’re so lucky to have TWO so close to you! I don’t have one super close to me, but a new one is opening this summer and it’s about 7-8 miles away. Not too bad. 😉
Uh yeeeeeah! I’m pinning this for sure! Question: would it be weird to swap greek yogurt in for sour cream? Too thick? I’m going to link up your giveaway in my post tomorrow!
Not at all! In fact, I think it would be a wonderful substitution. 😉 I hope you love this soup!
i like whole foods because of the company’s culture – they pay their employees well and help customers learn about healthy living and eating!
I love whole foods because they encourage me to eat and be more healthy!!!!
The soup looks amazing Melanie and I love love all the veggies in it!! I especially love that pretty purple cauliflower….I’ve never seen that kind before! I love Whole Foods too but they are so far away from me. However, they are now building one within 15 minutes which is so awesome! Can’t wait to get better produce!
I really loved the purple cauliflower too and couldn’t resist buying it! Whole Foods isn’t super close to me either, but there’s a new one opening up this summer that’s a lot closer. Yay!
I love whole foods because I don’t have to search through all the bad for you products to find the good stuff… they have wonderful healthy products at every turn! That soup looks amazing and I am totally buying those Ezekial pitas, I love their bread.
The soup looks yummy! Adding it to my weekly menu.. perfect for the rainy chilly days we have been having!
Love all the healthy unique foods they offer besides their gelato bar!
I like Whole Foods because they have a great selection of organic produce and baked goods.
Question, do you drain the water out of the veggies before adding the cheese sauce?
No, I just add the cheese sauce to the pot of water and veggies and then it becomes the perfect soup consistency. I’m glad you asked…I will update the post and clarify it on the blog. Thanks!
I am looking forward to the new Whole Foods being built closer to us in Sandy!!
I didn’t realize when Whole Foods came to town what that would mean for the town. It went from being a sleepy little suburb to being a very active, healthy vibrant, happenin’ place, and WFM had much to do with it! I started going there often, buying a little at a time, and learning about the different foods, taking classes, reading labels, etc. I love how they are active in the community and bring out the best in people. I’m so thrilled to have one near me that I don’t have to travel a long ways like so many ppl do to shop there. I love their fresh organic produce, the cheese dept., many of the store brand 365 products. I could keep going here…. !!!
I like Whole Foods service and produce quality.
I can’t wait to try this soup! It sounds delicious and also something that my picky eaters will enjoy. But I’m sad because I can’t enter your contest. There is no Whole Foods market where I live. 🙁
I’m sorry to hear you don’t have a Whole Foods where you live. 🙁 The closest one to me is about 20 minutes away, but there is one opening up this summer that’s a lot closer. Yay! I hope you LOVE the soup!
Their produce section can’t be beat. Ex: I took a simple chopped fruit salad to a potluck and someone asked, “Did you get this at a special store or something? All the fruit is so flavorful!” ha ha
Yum! That’s awesome!
I like Whole Foods because they have fresh food and are healthy!
I love the quality of the produce! And the bulk section is great!
I love the selection of products and yummy samples
I love WF because they have lots of GF options.
I love Whole Foods because the staff are nice, the store is kept clean, they offer free samples on the weekend and they have a large selection of organic foods.
They carry so many of the staples I like/need – coconut milk, coconut oil, almond flour, and more!
I love all the produce at Whole Foods! They have some of the best. I can’t believe you made this meal for under $4! I’m so impressed!!!
I have not been to a Whole Foods…I know I know. Our closest one is quite a hike away, but I would love to be transformed into a Whole Foods shopper!
I love their bakery and produce!!
I love their massive cheese selection.
I love Whole Foods’ produce section – it is always filled with a plethora of fresh organic fruits and veggies which I love and what I would spend the money on if I were lucky enough to win.
I love the fresh fish at Whole Foods. I get wild salmon there all the time.
i like whole foods because its full of food good for my family
I love Whole foods prepared dishes. The food isdelicious and good for you. Thank you for your blog. I enjoy reading it:-)
Whole Foods is new to are area, and they are a more affordable source for organic produce, which says something about our previous options.
We just got our first Whole Foods. I’m so excited to see their fruits and veggies section because I am trying to increase our intake as a family.
I like that whole foods has so many options, and most all of them healthy!
I love that Whole Foods carries a variety of healthy foods that you can’t find in other supermarket chains in RI. It’s the only place that I can buy thai coconut hummus! Haha. Also love the grind your own nut butter station.
Coconut hummus sounds fabulous! I think I need to find it. I used to live in RI too! It’s a great little place. I miss New England. 😉
I like whole foods because I like to eat good, nutritious, healthy foods and they have a wide selection of just about everything and anything I could want and need.
I love Whole Foods because I can make healthy meals for my family to enjoy! They always have a great selection of yummy food!
The service, environment, and their fantastic meat selection
I love whole foods! And your soup looks delicious!
They just have amazing foods! It is my favorite store
Love the healthy optoins
I love Whole Foods because they carry a lot of vegan options! 🙂
I love Whole Foods because of the selection – and I also love their fresh baked goods
I love the meat counter!!
I love Whole Foods because of the wide range of great products they carry.
I like Whole Foods fruits and vegetables section. They always have such fresh produce.
I like whole foods because they have the best quality food.