This is a delicious, rich soup that doesn’t contain the usual cream and cheese that you will find in most cream of broccoli or broccoli and cheese soups. It is adapted from this recipe and is also delicious as a vegan or non-vegan soup. Cream of broccoli soup is a great way to use up the broccoli stems and leaves if you have already used the majority of the florets. One of the ingredients is nutritional yeast, which can be found in the bulk bins of most natural foods stores and is a tasty alternative to cheese in recipes (not on its own!). Serve with croutons and garnish with chopped celery leaves.
Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil or butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
4-41/2 cup broccoli, chopped (you can use the stems and leaves as well as the florets. )
1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 to a whole hot pepper, chopped–to taste
salt, pepper
4 cups vegetable* or chicken stock
1 1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk or another dairy-free alternative like rice, cashew, or coconut milk
2 tbs flour
3/4 cups nutritional yeast
smoked paprika
2 tbs Dijon mustard
Heat 1 tbs. butter or olive oil at medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion, garlic, and celery, salt and pepper, and saute until onion is soft and translucent. Add broccoli, hot pepper, and potato and saute for 5 minutes longer. Add broth, cover, and cook for about fifteen minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs. butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/4 cup almond milk until there are no lumps. Add to skillet, along with remaining almond milk. Whisk until smooth. Add nutritional yeast, whisk. Add mustard, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, and whisk. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
Add nutritional yeast sauce to soup, stir. Serve with homemade croutons* and chopped celery leaves.
*To make vegetable stock: Throughout the week, gather vegetable scraps in a large pot–onion peels, potato peels, etc. When you have a full pot, add a whole chopped onion and water, and simmer slowly, for about 4-5 hours.
*To make croutons: Gather ends of bread, buns, and any other bits of bread you have. Slice in crouton-size pieces and place on a large baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, herbs of your choice (I use a Greek seasoning blend), and bake at 425 degrees for 5-10 minutes, turning occasionally.
This soup also freezes well.
Enjoy!
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