A pureed vegetable soup may make a stunning, simple, and inexpensive starter for a formal dinner or even serve as a light meal on its own with salad and bread.
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 6 to 7 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds broccoli – stems peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks, remaining broccoli cut into medium florets
- 1 large onion, cut into large dice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pinch sugar
- 3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Garnish: toasted pine nuts*
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.
- Add broccoli, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until vegetables start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.
- Add mustard, basil, oregano, and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
- Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the lid’s pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid. Drape the blender canister with a kitchen towel. To ‘clean’ the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)
- Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into bowls, garnish and serve.
- *To toast, heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts; stir and shake pan until nuts are fragrant and golden.
- Copyright 2004 USA WEEKEND and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 169 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 21 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 58 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
For best flavor it’s necessary to increase all the spices- including the garlic. I also use additional water as necessary. Cheese can be added if desired.
This sounded good but it was extremely bland.
I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe. I make a lot of dishes using broccoli florets, and I often have leftover stems, which I don’t particularly like to eat steamed. This was a great way to get rid of them! I ended up tweaking the spices, and as a few other reviewers suggested, added a little bit of cheese. For anyone willing to give it a try, this is a good base that you can customize to your satisfaction.
Very different. I wouldn’t really call it creamy though. The mustard really changed the taste of the soup. I probably won’t make this again.
This soup has potential but as written it lacks flavor. I caramelized the onion and added another 1/2 tsp dry mustard. I used evaporated milk in place of the half & half as it imparts a creamy texture without the fat and calories. I added Parmesan cheese as a garnish which did help flavor the soup somewhat. I was out of my good Smoked Spanish Paprika which would have been a nice addition. I will use it next time. This would be a nice soup to serve with a panini type sandwich.
This is so good! And I’ve tried a couple of the other recipes on this site for broccoli soup. Great flavour! I used skim milk instead of whole milk and it tasted so good. It was definitely less fat/less sodium than some of the other recipes.
I found it refreshing to find a broccoli soup recipe that did not use cheese as my family must watch cholesterol.
As written, I didn’t feel the spices in this soup “worked”; but when I melted in cheese, the flavors melded beautifully. It’s quite thick with the addition of the cheese, and a small cup can be used as a dip for breadsticks or eaten plain with crackers. I would probably use this as my first choice for a buffet or appetizer soup. One note – I never use oregano, but always substitute its milder cousin, marjoram. For a great supper soup, see Cream of Broccoli Soup I by Antooskin. It’s flavorful without being spicy and has a thinner consistency.
I really enjoyed how easy this recipe really was. My husband is not a huge broccoli fan but since I love it, I though this would be a good way to get him to eat it..success!! I think I would add just a touch more mustard, I could taste it if I really focused on it but thought a bit more would be even better. carmelizing the onions gave a great flavour. I will difinatley make this again..great cool weather meal. After making this again….I do have to say the extra mustard was what was needed and a bit more spice… I wish more people would try this recipe!! It is awesome!!