I had a head of broccoli in my fridge for a little too long, and it kept begging me to make a soup with it – but not just any soup, CHEDDAR and broccoli soup! Even though I have never actually enjoyed this very popular American dish, I *get* the vibe here. So I took that forlorn cruciferous and got to brainstorming.
I wanted the base of the soup to be thick, creamy and orange, like cheddar cheese, so I combined onion, garlic, carrots, and a potato to bring this hearty energy. A few mild spices and nutritional yeast added to the savoury-ness, and I even made use of the broccoli steaming water (loaded with minerals!), so I didn’t waste a darn thing. The end result is super smooth and luscious, with flecks of broccoli coming though for texture. I nailed this on the first try, and since you have a recipe, I guarantee you will too 😉
“Cheesy” Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large 500g / 1 lb head broccoli
- 1 Tbsp. expeller-pressed coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 tsp. salt divided
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium carrots 250g / 9oz, chopped
- 1 medium potato 200g / 7oz, chopped
- 4 cups / 1 liter vegetable broth
- 1 cup / 250ml water for steaming
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or more to taste
Directions
- Start by preparing the broccoli: wash well and peel the stems so that you’re left with just the tender interior. Chop off the very tops of the florets, and set aside. Chop the stems into rough chunks, set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and half the salt, and let cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes, then add the bay leaves, paprika and pepper, stir to coat. Lastly, add the broccoli stems, carrots and potato, then the rest of the salt, stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the vegetable are fork tender. Turn off the heat and let cool for a few minutes, while you prepare the broccoli tops.
- Place a large steamer basket over 1 cup / 250ml of water, bring to a boil. Place the broccoli florets in the steamer, cover, and cook for exactly 4 minutes. Remove the steamer basket and broccoli from the pot and set aside.
- Transfer the soup to a blender, add the steaming water, mustard, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Blend on high until completely smooth. Taste, and adjust seasoning to suit you. Lastly, add the steamed broccoli florets and pulse a few times to chop – do not blend entirely, as we want some broccoli chunks still in there!
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls, say thank you and enjoy.
Notes
