| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds broccoli
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion
- 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery
- Gray salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 5 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
- 2 cups packed spinach
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 cup heavy cream or buttermilk (if using buttermilk, cut the lemon zest in half)
Instructions
- Cut the broccoli florets from the stems. Peel the tough outer skin from the stems and trim off the fibrous ends. Cut the stems lengthwise into slices about 1/2-inch thick and then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until light brown. Add the onion and celery, lower the heat to medium, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables slowly until tender, about 10 minutes. Regulate the heat so the vegetables cook without taking on color.
- Add the thyme and stir. Add the broccoli stems, stock, and salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for about 3 minutes. Add the florets and continue to cook until very tender, about 5 minutes more.
- Puree the soup in a blender in small batches. Add some of the spinach and some of the lemon zest to each batch and then puree it. (The soup can be made to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Return the soup to the pan and reheat over gentle heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Chef’s Note: When I plan on finishing a dish with the addition of a dairy product, as I do here with cream, I often add a dairy product early in the cooking, too, as I do with the butter in the initial cooking of the vegetables. It melds the flavors.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 490 |
| Total Fat | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 31 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 98 mg |
| Sodium | 1430 mg |
Reviews
I made this for the first course for Christmas dinner. I received rave reviews and even requests for seconds. I followed the recipe closely with the buttermilk option. It was a bright beautiful green because of the spinach.
Excellent soup, loved the addition of spinach! Used low-fat buttermilk for the leaner version and it was wonderful!
This is my, and hopefully yours, go-to broccoli soup. I sometimes toss a pinch of chili flakes or a knob of diced jalapeño into the mix for a little “zip”. Also I generally don’t add dairy into the fold but instead use a diced small creamy – type potato which helps to thicken.
Incredible taste!! Beautiful green color! I used distilled water instead of chicken stock. Lemon juice was enough, did not add heavy cream or buttermilk. Might try buttermilk next time. I did not have enough salt in it so added garlic salt. I am delighted to find this recipe. Beyond pleased!!
Hands down the best broccoli soup ever! Great hot or cold! And uses the stalks, too!!! My hubby loved it, too!!
So good! Easy to make!!
So good! Easy to make!!
Great texture, good color and wonderful flavor with fresh herbs and celery! Nice soup for this time of year.
This was a great tasting soup. It was rated by the taste testers as my “best soup ever!” The lemon perks it up and gives it a yum factor that just makes you want to eat more. This is a keeper. 🙂
Very good! I left out the dairy and added a can of cannelini beans for a creamier texture when puréed
Simple and delicious! I added some cheddar cheese on top for my picky child.
I like this recipe, except that I was looking for a thicker soup, so at the end I added a can of garbanzo beans . I also substituted leeks for the onion. I found that the cream may not be necessary as it really didn’t affect the taste of the soup. Since I made a double recipe to have some to store in the freezer I will try adding buttermilk when I warm up the left overs to see how that tastes