Instant Pot Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham and Potatoes
The other night I needed to make supper, but I haven’t been very consistent with my meal planning lately so I didn’t have anything planned. I decided to create this creamy broccoli cheese soup with ham and potatoes because I had some diced ham and potatoes I needed to use up. I started getting everything ready and realized I didn’t have milk or fresh broccoli.
What do you do when you haven’t planned out your meals and you decided what to make, but realize you don’t have the ingredients you need? You google what you can substitute. Google said I could substitute evaporated milk for milk. Not going to lie, I was a little skeptical because I had never used evaporated milk in soup before. Wow, evaporated milk makes the soup better. This instant pot creamy broccoli cheese soup with ham and potatoes is amazing. I also just used frozen broccoli instead of fresh.
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This got me thinking, what other ways can I use evaporated milk? Check out the recipes below to see some delicious ways to use evaporated milk. *Disclaimer, I have not tried all of these recipes*. Once you get through all the fun ways to use evaporated milk, you will find the instant pot creamy broccoli cheese soup with ham and potato recipe.
1. Cherry Bing Bars
I admit that I am not a fan of cherry bing bars. In my opinion, take the cherry part out altogether and just give me the chocolate. My husband and my boss love cherry bing bars so I make them. I’ll take any chance I can get to suck up to my husband or my boss, but especially my boss. Ha!
2. Andes Mint Fudge
I love mint. In my mind, it’s crazy if someone says they don’t like mint. For example, my husband. He seriously doesn’t even use mint toothpaste. He uses cinnamon toothpaste. Now, that sounds disgusting to me. My husband’s brother also doesn’t like mint. I could eat a whole box of Andes mints in one sitting. My Andes mint fudge recipe is so delicious. They have mint, chocolate and nuts, how could they not be fabulous?
3. Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite pies. It is one thing my husband and I agree on, although, he likes apple pie better. There is a debate about pumpkin pie between my mom and me. She likes her pumpkin pie heated up (yuck). Pumpkin pie has to be cold. In my mind, you heat up pumpkin pie, it’s like eating warm baby food. One year, at Thanksgiving, my husband’s sister heated the whole pumpkin pie in the oven to warm it up. I didn’t realize that she did that, and I took a slice and started eating it. Let me tell you, it took everything in me to choke that warm pumpkin pie down. Pumpkin pie is meant to be served cold.
4. Alfredo Sauce
Okay, so I haven’t tested out this recipe, but I am definitely going to try it. To be honest, I usually use the alfredo sauce in a jar. Rarely, if ever, do I make my own alfredo sauce, but this sauce looks super easy to make. When I test it out, I will let you know if it’s any good.
5. Stroganoff Soup
Stroganoff was my absolute favorite meal as a kid. My mom always made it to serve over rice. I don’t think we ever had egg noodles with it. It was the meal I asked her to make for my birthday every year. This stroganoff soup looks absolutely amazing and is definitely on my list of recipes I must try. Yum!
6. Banana Ice Cream
I love ice cream, and I love bananas, so this recipe is an obvious choice for me. Who knew you could make ice cream with evaporated milk? This is not a recipe I have tried, but I will be testing it out. I might even work on my own banana ice cream recipe, but it definitely has to have real bananas. None of that imitation banana flavor. That’s another thing my husband and I actually agree on; banana runts (imitation banana) are gross. Well, he doesn’t like anything banana, real or imitation, so maybe his opinion doesn’t count here.
7. Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
When I was young, scalloped potatoes and ham were not my favorite. I think, if they are made right, they are delicious. Plus, it’s a great way to use up some extra ham after the holidays. Or, if you are like me and you make ham steaks often, you will have extra ham to use up once every couple of weeks. I have not tried this recipe out, but it’s another one that will be on my list.
8. Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
I have discovered that evaporated milk makes soups absolutely delicious. My kids actually love most soups, and my husband loves that I can freeze individual portions so he can make himself a quick and easy lunch. This creamy chicken and rice soup looks fantastic. I haven’t tested this recipe out yet, but Taste of Home recipes are almost always delicious.
Speaking of creamy and delicious soups, let’s get to the actual point of this post. I want to share with you this instant pot creamy broccoli cheese soup with ham and potatoes. It was a recipe that was thrown together but ended up being one of my favorite soups recipes that I have created. Enjoy!
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Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham and Potatoes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Description
This soup is so comforting and flavorful. It was based on my instant pot loaded potato soup, but with a few tweaks. The evaporated milk is the key ingredient, so if you substitute it out for regular milk, you will be disappointed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 oz package of frozen broccoli, chopped
- 5–6 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
- 5 cups shredded colby jack cheese
- 1 pound diced ham
Instructions
- Turn on the sauté function on your instant pot. Add olive oil and onions. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add granulated garlic, salt and pepper and cook another minute.
- Add broccoli, potatoes, ground thyme, bay leaves and chicken broth.
- Place lid on the instant pot and cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.
- While soup is cooking, melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add evaporated milk and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.
- Once instant pot is done cooking, quick release and remove bay leaves.
- Add cheesy roux and stir to combine
- Add diced ham and stir.
- Turn on sauté function and cook for 3-4 more minutes to make sure everything is heated through.
- Top with more cheese and/or crackers if desired.
Notes
- You can definitely use fresh broccoli in this recipe. I just used frozen when I created it because I didn’t have fresh broccoli.
- You can substitute regular milk for the evaporated milk, but I encourage you not to do that. This is the best soup I have created, and I think it’s because of the evaporated milk.
- This soup is perfect for freezing. I often freeze it in individual portions so that my husband has a quick and easy lunch that’s already portioned out.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: soup
Lisa
Hello there! My name is Lisa. I am a wife, mother of four beautiful children and a nurse. Having a blog was not something I ever expected to be doing, but I am so excited to be on this adventure. I have been a psychiatric nurse for 18 years. I am a lover of God, family, friends, food, photography and humor. My obsession with freezer meal planning is the main reason I wanted to start this blog. It has changed the way I feed my family. Meal planning and making life a little bit easier is something I am so passionate about. Sharing my ideas with people has brough me such joy. I love to tell anyone who will listen about my next big cooking or baking adventure. I hope that you will find helpful tips and delicious recipes on this blog.
