What can you do with broccoli? It’s one of those vegetables that you know is good for you but you just don’t know the best ways to eat it. You want something that will lighten up your day and leave you feeling satisfied. This isn’t always easy with the dark leafy greens.
Broccoli is one of the most troublesome. We eat it raw with dips a lot, and it’s often steamed with carrots and cauliflower, but what about something exciting?
How about making some broccoli soup? At first, that doesn’t sound so interesting, but you can add all sorts of other vegetables and ingredients together to make your soups stand out! Here are seven that you need to try for your late-night dinners.
One of the best things about the soups is that they will be easy to freeze and store. You can bulk make your soups and have something to reheat when the time comes quickly.
Start with a Cream of Broccoli Soup
There’s nothing simpler than a cream of [ingredient] soup. In this case, it’s cream of broccoli, although it does include other vegetables. This can be turned into a vegan soup if you’d like by substituting a few of the ingredients. I’ll share those substitutes in the ingredient list.
Ingredients:
- 5tbsp butter (or vegan butter)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 8 cups of broccoli florets
- 3tbsp flour
- 2 cups of milk of choice
- Black pepper, to taste
Method:
- Heat 2tbsp of the butter in a stock pot and fry the celery and onion until tender
- Add the broth and broccoli and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes
- Place the soup in a blender, until the pitcher is half full, and then carefully blend until a puree
- Blend in batches until all the soup is liquid
- Heat the remaining butter in another pan and add the flour
- Stir in the milk, until bubbly and thick, and pour into the soup
- Season with the pepper and serve
This is delicious with a few slices of buttered bread. You could also add some croûtons to the soup if you want a little bit of crunch.
Try Out a Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
While the above recipe can be made vegan, this one is designed specifically for a vegan diet. It’s a delicious way to get a creamy mixture without the hassle of finding substitutes all the time. You’ll also make your own croûtons to go into the soup for that bit of extra crunch.
Ingredients for the Soup:
- 2tbsp oil of choice
- 2 ½ cups of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1/3 cup of carrots, chopped
- 1/3 cup of celery, chopped
- 1/3 cup of onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Pinch of salt
- 3tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ cups of vegetable broth
- 1 cup of plant milk
- ¼ cup of coconut milk
- 2tbsp nutritional yeast
- Ingredients for the croutons:
- 2/3 cup of broccoli, chopped into florets
- 2tsp oil of choice
- Salt, to taste
Method:
- Start with the soup by heating the oil in a pan and then adding the vegetables and garlic
- Sprinkle with the salt and cook until tender
- Sprinkle with the flour and cook for another minute, stirring to combine
- Add the vegetable broth and whisk
- Add the milk and yeast and whisk again
- Simmer for 10 minutes and then puree the soup as you like
- To make the croutons, heat the oil and add in the florets and soup, cooking until just tender
- Turn the heat up high and cook until there’s a brown edge to the broccoli on one side at least
- Remove from the heat and place to one side
Serve with the broccoli croutons in the middle on top of the soup. You can also add some black pepper and vegan cheese if you’d like. This is delicious when served with crackers or bread.
Make Your Broccoli and Cheese Soup Slowly
Broccoli and cheese are two commonly placed together ingredients for soups. You will often use Stilton or another blue cheese, but you can use any type of cheese you prefer. This recipe calls for cream cheese!
It’s time to cook your soup slowly. You can set it all up before you leave the house and have it ready when you’re in from work. Oh, how crock pots are among the best inventions ever made!
Ingredients:
- 5 cups of broccoli florets, chopped
- 1 cup of carrots, grated
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2oz cream cheese
- 1tsp oregano
- 1/4tsp nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups of vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 can of evaporated milk
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8oz of cheese, grated
Method:
- Add the vegetables and garlic to the bottom of your slow cooker
- Top with the cream cheese, herbs, and broth
- Stir the ingredients together
- Cook for 2 hours on high or 6 hours on low, until the broccoli, is tender
- Stir in the evaporated milk and then blend three-quarters of the soup, so there are still some chunks
- Add the soup back into the crock pot and cook for another 10 minutes so it is warm
- Stir in the seasoning and grated cheese and then cook for another 5 minutes
It’s best to get a block of cheese and grate your own. While you can buy bags of grated cheese, it is usually covered in starch and doesn’t melt as well as blocks of cheese in the soup.
Bacon, Broccoli, and Cheese Soup for a Bit of Meat
When you want some meat in your soup, you may think that broccoli isn’t allowed. Well, that’s where you’re wrong. The vegetable works extremely well with bacon and here’s a delicious option. Turkey bacon is used in this recipe, but you can use any type of bacon that you want.
Method:
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- 1 cup of carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup of celery, chopped
- 3 cups of potatoes, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup of onion, chopped
- 2 broccoli heads, chopped into florets
- 6 slices of bacon of choice, chopped
- 3tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup of flour
- 3 cups of milk of choice
- 4 cups of cheese, grated
- 1tsp salt
- 1/2tsp black pepper
- 1tsp dried mustard
Method:
- Mix the vegetables except for the broccoli with the chicken broth in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes on a simmer, after bringing it to a boil
- Add the broccoli and simmer for 10 minutes
- Fry the bacon in another saucepan until crisp and place on paper towels to pat the grease off
- Melt the butter in the bacon saucepan and then whisk in the flour, cooking for a couple of minutes
- Whisk the milk in gradually and cook for about 5 minutes, until it’s thickened and bubbly
- Stir in the cheese a handful at a time, until all the cheese is melted, and then add the seasoning and mustard
- Stir the cheese mixture into the vegetables slowly, combining well with a whisk
- Add in the bacon and season to taste
You can add more milk or broth if you find the sauce too thick. If you want, you can also puree some of the vegetables down, but this soup works better packed with whole vegetables for a more filling soup.
Try Out a Bacon and Broccoli Soup that Isn’t Quite as Loaded
The above soup is delicious, but it can have a few too many vegetables for some people. You may not want something that can mask some of the taste of the bacon. That’s why we have this second broccoli and bacon soup for you to try out.
Ingredients:
- 30g of butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 200g of streaky bacon, preferably smoked and chopped
- 350g of potatoes washed and chopped into chunks
- 1 1/2lt chicken stock
- 400g of broccoli, chopped
- 150ml milk of choice
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
Method:
- In a large pan, melt the butter and add in the onion, frying until soft
- Add half the bacon to the potatoes and stir
- Add the stock, bringing the mixture to a boil before simmering for 10 minutes
- Add in the broccoli stalks, cooking for another 5 minutes
- Add the florets of the broccoli and cook for another 10 minutes
- Add in the milk, stirring and letting it simmer for a while longer
- Blend the soup until it’s at the consistency that you prefer
- Grill the remaining bacon and crumble it over the top of your soup when you serve
One of the best things about this recipe is that it won’t take long to turn it into a vegan-friendly soup. You can use a milk substitute and vegetable broth with ease and just cut out the bacon. You may find that soy milk is better than a nut milk to work with the vegetables.
Make Your Broccoli Soup Paleo Friendly
We’ve looked at vegan options but what about paleo options? This soup is perfect for those on the Paleo diet, as there are no refined ingredients at all.
Ingredients:
- 1tbsp ghee
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 cups of chicken/bone broth
- 1lb broccoli florets, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 cup of coconut milk, shaken
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
Method:
- Heat the ghee and then sauté the onions for 1-2 minutes
- Add the garlic, cooking until fragrant
- Pour in the broth and add the vegetables with seasoning, bringing to the boil before simmering for 20 minutes
- Add the coconut milk, cooking for a couple of minutes to warm through
- Blend the ingredients to a consistency that you prefer for soup
Some people prefer a few chunks in their soup. If you like this, puree about three-quarters of your mixture and leave the rest to add back into the liquid. You’ll still get a creamy texture in the three-quarters of pureed veggies.
Coconut Curried Broccoli Soup for Something a Little Different
vegetable soup of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots
The recipes above have been very similar in nature. You’ll see many of the same vegetables and spices added to the list. Well, now it’s time for something a little different. This curried soup uses plenty of herbs that are traditional with the Eastern world. Don’t forget about some ginger and jalapeño pepper to finish it off!
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches of broccoli, chopped
- 3tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2tbsp ginger, grated finely
- 4 cups of stock of choice
- 1tbsp curry powder
- 1tbsp red curry paste
- 1tsp coriander powder
- 1tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2tsp cumin
- 1 can of coconut milk
Method:
- Heat the oil in a soup pot and sauté the onion and jalapeño peppers
- Add in the ginger and garlic, cooking for another couple of minutes
- Add in the broccoli and heat completely
- Stir in the broth, bringing it to a boil before simmering for about 5 minutes
- Stir the curry powder, paste, and spices and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on
- Remove from the heat and blend half of the mixture, so you still have some chunks of broccoli
- Pour in the coconut milk and return to the heat, until warmed through
Serve with some fresh cilantro over the top and some black pepper. The kids will love it and won’t even realize that they’re getting their broccoli intake from the taste of it all.
Create Delicious Broccoli Soup Every Day of the Week
There is something for all needs and interests above. You can create a delicious vegan soup without hassle or make something that will be ready for when you come home from work. Don’t forget to try out different milk alternatives to find the one that tastes best to you.
Which broccoli soup will you try first? Share in the comments below!
