Broccoli Soup

These days I take great pleasure in eating all by myself in complete and utter silence. Today's solitary dining experience and this blog post are made possible by Marshall's nap. Enjoy.



This is one of my most favorite soup recipes. It is rich and satisfying without the floury, gloppiness of the Broccoli Cheddar my girls enjoy from fine establishments such as Panera or Au Bon Pain.

Since I don't have time to perfect my cream-soup making skills (something about butter and flour and, of course, all that cream which I rarely have on hand)...there's potato, which works well enough but doesn't offer much substance, what's a busy mama to do? It's so simple I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner.

I think the original inspiration for using white beans to thicken the soup comes from Eating Well. If I recall correctly, their recipe doesn't call for onion and that is just weird! I never trust a recipe that doesn't call for an onion. Would you? So I call for three cups. That oughta do it.



Broccoli Soup
Serves 4-6

2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
1/4 cups Tamari
3 cups water or stock
6-8 cups chopped broccoli (crowns and thinly sliced stalks)
1 can white beans with liquid
1 cup grated cheese (e.g., cheddar, soft gouda)

Warm the butter and olive oil in your favorite soup pot. Add the onion and let them cook until they smell really good and start turning a bit brown.

Add the water, tamari and broccoli. Bring to a boil and add the beans. Simmer until the broccoli is very soft. About 20 minutes. Let everything cool a bit.

Puree with a stick blender (or in batches using a regular blender but I really recommend getting a stick blender ASAP). Add a little water or stock to get the consistency you like.

Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Eat some right away because it's really good!

Sometimes I reserve some chopped broccoli to steam and then stir into the pureed soup.