Raise your hand if you think it’s time to start talking about BEER on this blog! Cheddar soup in and of itself doesn’t exactly scream “New Orleans cuisine!” However, an Instagram post caught my eye one night while I was mindlessly scrolling and I HAD to figure out how to make this with a lazy keto spin. The recipe was shared by Abita Beer for day 3 of Abita’s 12 Days of Christmas. They had me at beer, what can I say?! The original recipe may be found here, and below you’ll find my lower carb adaptation! Below the soup recipe, you’ll find what I brainstormed on the spot to appease my hungry husband.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
10 ounces mirepoix (diced carrots, celery, and yellow onion)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup almond flour
1 & 1/4 cups low carb milk (I use Hood brand)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 & 3/4 cups chicken stock
12 ounce bottle of Abita Amber
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
2 & 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Tony Chachere’s to taste
1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
3. Add half of the chives and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the almond flour and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Increase the heat to medium-high, and whisk in the milk and chicken stock.
6. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Pour the mixture into an electric blender and puree until smooth.
8. Return the pureed mixture to the pot over medium heat.
9. Add the beer, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard, and simmer until the foam subsides, about 5 minutes.
10. Whisk in the cheese, 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more. Do not allow the soup to boil.
11. Season with Tony Chachere’s, garnish with chives, and serve immediately.
This recipe makes a little over 4 cups of soup. It works out to be roughly one cup per serving. It is so hearty and rich! Each one cup serving is 8.1g net carbs. Chris, being the hungry man he is, turned up his nose at the thought of just a bowl of soup for dinner. He likes to chew his dinner, not drink it. I would’ve just tossed in some broccoli and called it a night, but I didn’t have any. I looked around the kitchen and zeroed in on my Mission Carb Balance soft taco tortillas. The oven was already heated to 350 degrees for something else, so I sprayed down a cookie sheet with cooking spray, cut two tortillas into 16 tortilla “chips,” brushed each with melted butter, and sprinkled a little bit of cheddar on top of each one. I popped them in the oven for about ten minutes until crispy. Ummmmm…. they were perfection! Just the right little side for this soup. Four chips (1/4 of the chips to go with 1/4 of the soup) total to 2g net carbs. Hours later and we’re both still sighing happy, full sighs. This is such a good, fulfilling meal for a chilly winter night!
Lazy NOLA Keto 