This healthy Instant Pot Bacon and Beer Cheese Cauliflower Soup is a bowl full of cozy and so perfect for meal prepping!
Hey guys! So what's new with you? Over here the current status is full and happy, because I literally just finished off a bowl of this creamy, dreamy, cheesy soup. Aside from that... we had a really great Valentine's day, there were lots of flowers, chocolates and delicious food that we all cooked together. We never go out for Valentine's day (because we usually don't have anyone to watch the kids and the busiest restaurant night of the year isn't the most fun time to take the littles out to dinner) but honestly I really love getting in the kitchen together and making something special that we all enjoy.
But let's get down to it. This recipe, you guys. I'm in love. I don't know if you're sick of me posting soups lately but it's like a freaking disease. I just can't stop. Especially these super creamy, crazy comforting soups - other faves that we've been making a TON lately are my Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup and my Broccoli Cheese Soup, if you haven't tried these yet, you NEED to get to it! They're seriously ridiculous (and they both have IP directions, too, btw!)
Lets take just a minute to talk about the beer ↑ in this beer cheese soup. You guys, I'm no beer connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I don't even really like it very much, so I did a little research as to what I should use in a beer cheese soup, dip or whatever. What I came away with is that a lager is best, so that's what I used and it came out great! Another tip that I read was that you shouldn't use an IPA because it'll come out bitter, just fyi.
For my 21 Day Fixers:
I made this so each serving uses half of a blue container, but if you want it extra cheesy (and who doesn't?), feel free to double the cheddar and count each serving as 1 blue! Oh and you know what else?! For those of you who find it really difficult to get those green containers in, each serving of this indulgent-tasting soup counts as 2 Greens and I promise it doesn't taste like veggies at all!!
For my non-Instant Potters:
Even though this is billed as an Instant Pot recipe, because I love you beautiful people, I included stove top directions while I was at it. #noIPnoproblem - But whether you're using an Instant Pot or not, this soup couldn't be easier and I know you're going to love it.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, click here to check it out on Amazon! It's prime! (affiliate link).
Save this Instant Pot Bacon and Beer Cheese Cauliflower Soup to Pinterest! ↓↓
If you make this recipe be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix or use #thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Bacon and Beer Cheese Cauliflower Soup {21 Day Fix}
Ingredients
- 8 slices of turkey bacon, chopped
- 1 Tbs unsalted butter
- 2 cups sliced onions (about 1 large onion)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of your favorite beer - a lager is a great choice for this!
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 medium)
- 9 cups chopped cauliflower (1 ½ pounds)
- 1 teaspoon generic spicy ground mustard (or any mustard you have on hand, but this is my fave)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Your favorite Fix approved hot sauce, to taste (if you're following 21 Day Fix, if not, use any hot sauce you like!) - you could also leave this out of the pot and just add it to each bowl so each person can customize the heat level!
- chopped green onions, for serving (optional, but delicious!)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Spray the lining of your instant pot with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray. Press the saute button, add the chopped bacon and cook until browned. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon. (I like to stick the bacon in a 250 degree oven afterwards to keep it hot and get them even crispier!)
- Add the butter and onions and cook for several minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. De-glaze with the beer, making sure you get up any browned bits in the bottom of the pot. Then add the broth, salt, carrots & cauliflower. Turn off the saute function, close the lid and set to manual for 4 minutes. When it's finished cooking, you can immediately release the pressure.
- Remove the lid and blend the soup until smooth and creamy - you can either use a stick blender, like the one shown below, or transfer the contents to a regular blender (depending on the size of your blender, you may need to do this in batches). Next, stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and shredded cheese until cheese is melted. Add in the hot sauce to taste if you're using it and check seasonings. You can either stir in the bacon or top each bowl it. Garnish with some green onions if you like and enjoy!
Stove Top Instructions:
- Spray the bottom of a large pot with olive oil cooking spray and cook the turkey bacon until browned. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon. (I like to stick the bacon in a 250 degree oven afterwards to keep it hot and get them even crispier!)
- Add the butter and onions and cook for several minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. De-glaze with the beer, making sure you get up any browned bits in the bottom of the pot. Then add the broth, salt, carrots & cauliflower and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is SUPER tender, so that it'll easily mash.
- Remove the lid and blend the soup until smooth and creamy - you can either use a stick blender, like the one shown below, or transfer the contents to a regular blender (depending on the size of your blender, you may need to do this in batches). Next, stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and shredded cheese until cheese is melted. Add in the hot sauce to taste if you're using it and check seasonings. You can either stir in the bacon or top each bowl it. Garnish with some green onions if you like and enjoy!
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Counts per Serving: 2 Green, ½ Red, ½ Blue, ½ tsp
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 6
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 ⅓ cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 12g
Shelley says
Made this soup over the weekend and it is perfect for fall. Kids loved it abs had no idea there were hidden veggies! Any idea what the other macros might be besides the fat?
I’ve been a portion fix fan for several years but my new coach has me counting macros as well and I hate to give up great recipes!
Stephanie says
Hi! I'm so thrilled you guys loved it! I don't know the other macros off hand, but you could use something like myfitnesspal to get them 🙂 Definitely no need to give up recipes you enjoy!
Diane Pauly says
This soup is crazy good! I cannot believe this is actually a healthy soup!! I've made it 4 times since finding it and am sharing with friends and family.
Thank you!!!
Stephanie says
Yay!! It made my day to read this, so thank YOU!!
Elizabeth says
OMG! This is AH-MAZ-ING! I’m a terrible cook and even I didn’t mess it up! Not to mention, my husband even liked it and he never eats anything healthy. He saw turkey bacon and immediately wrote it off. However, he was very surprised by the result. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and I will definitely be bookmarking your site.
Stephanie says
This comment made my day! There's nothing better than converting a skeptic 😉 So thrilled you both loved it!
AB says
Thank you for this! I made it with a milk stout - which gave it a very strong beer flavor - but that's fine by me as I'm quite the aficionado. Turned it a less appetizing wheat-color, but tasted delicious. Great way to get my veggies!!! :).
Stephanie says
Ooh, that sounds wonderful!! I'm so happy you loved it!
Rebecca says
This looks amazing! I'm really looking forward to making it. Approximately, how much cauliflower does that work out to? Would one head be enough or is it more like two?
Stephanie says
Hey Rebecca! It's probably more like 2. It's about a pound and a half after removing the stem, I would probably get about 2 lbs of cauliflower to be on the safe side (to give some wiggle room for the stem being removed and it getting trimmed). Hope you love it!
Mandy says
Two enthusiastic thumbs up from the Daquelentes! The perfect recipe to warm you up on a dreary Ohio evening. 😍😍😍
Stephanie says
Yay!! This made my night!!
Elisabeth says
Do you know if gluten free beer would work with this recipe?
Stephanie says
Absolutely!
Amy says
Looks so yummy! Do you think it would freeze well?
Stephanie says
Hey Amy, I think if you left off the bacon (and just added it when serving) it would freeze well!
Ashley says
This was great! Tricked my husband into eating his veggies--he (still) has no idea the base is cauliflower! I did double the cheese because I had a full blue left. Thanks!
Stephanie says
Bahahaha... I love it!! Glad you both liked it!
fnaf says
Our family loves soup! Can’t wait to make this!
Stephanie says
Awesome!!
All That I'm Eating says
This sounds delicious! Beer and cheese together in a soup...yes please!
Stephanie says
Thank you!