Delicious and healthy cream of broccoli soup

 

My bestie and I decided to have a girls night to catch up after the busy holiday season. The only two requirements were that the dinner must be budget friendly and low-cal, as she is headed to the Big Island in a few days, and this means b-i-k-i-n-i if you get my drift. I love, love, love soups, and they seem like such a healthy way to keep your diet in check (although not all soups are created equal… sorry, loaded baked potato, this post is not for you). Not only are they good for your body, they can also be good on your wallet. By using what you have in your pantry/freezer/refrigerator, you can assemble a tasty soup in no time. Look around. Onions, check. Garlic, check. Salt and pepper, check, check. You’re halfway there. My grand total for this soup came out to $12. Yes, you read that right, $12 – for dinner for two and seemingly endless leftovers. (A great tip is to pour individual servings of the leftovers into Ziplock sandwich bags and freeze. Then you have a healthy, single serving meal on hand whenever you get the craving.)

Since I heart broccoli, I decided to make a very basic cream of broccoli soup. As a budding home chef, I like to expand on recipes in order to make them my own. A little of this, a splash of that, and I’ve got a kitch potato original; HOWEVER, I also understand the need to learn the basics. Hey, you can’t walk before you crawl, right?  And who better to crawl with than none of than The Joy of Cooking. I just purchased this kitchen bible as a Christmas present to myself, and I have been itching to try something from it. 

Now this recipe is about as basic as it gets, but it is delicious and filling. Since I was watching the calories, I traded out half of the butter for olive oil, and I used 2% milk as opposed to cream. I garnished it with a small handful of freshly grated sharp cheddar for some extra kick. Be sure to salt and pepper quite liberally. I think some good additions if you are feeling wild would be garlic, grated carrots, and/or potatoes to give it a little more depth of flavor. It might also be interesting to substitute some white wine  for  some of the chicken broth. Sour cream could be a nice garnish as well. Really, the possibilities are endless, and I think it would be really hard to mess this one up. Enjoy!

 

CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

Source: adapted from The Joy of Cooking

• 4 tbs (1/2 stick) butter 
• 1 1/2 cups minced celery
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 1/2 lbs broccoli, trimmed and chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock, chicken broth or other light stock or broth 
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup heavy cream, half and half or milk
• Salt and pepper
• Grated cheese such as cheddar or swiss, for garnish

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add celery and onions and cook until tender but not browned. Stir in broccoli, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add flour and mix in thoroughly with the vegetables. Turn the heat to high and add slowly add stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, partially covered, until the broccoli is very tender, about 25 minutes. 

Using a food processor or immersion blender, process until smooth. Return soup to the pot and stir in cream. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese if desired.

Makes approximately 8 cups.