Slow-Cooked Broccoli & Potato Soup

60 Minutes of Slow Cooking Makes the Difference

Broccoli soup can be delicious, though in days past perhaps it was the cream cheese and/or cheddar cheese that made it so. Plus, there was always a concern about cooking it quickly enough so that the color remained bright green and fresh tasting and fragrant. Thus, I am very eager to share this recipe with you for my new favorite broccoli soup.

Though allow me to back up to two days ago when I found the largest crown of broccoli I’d ever seen—almost two pounds just in the crown! Of course I most excitedly bought it along with a couple of russet potatoes with the intention of preparing soup.

Doing some research for ideas, every recipe I found added cheese often accompanied by cream. One recipe even used cornstarch as a thickener. Nope, these wouldn’t do so I waited patiently for inspiration—considering preparing Broccoli Pesto instead, though holding out for soup.

It was a dark and stormy afternoon…

This afternoon, as the wind blew and the sky became darker and darker, I had visions of a bowl of steaming broccoli soup. I was about ready to wing it when I looked at one last book, Splendid Soups by James Peterson. He included one recipe for broccoli soup and it called for slow-cooking the soup without cream or cheese. Yes!

I added onions and potatoes to the recipe, though kept his basic formula of gently simmering all the ingredients together for 1 hour. You can imagine the color, yet the smell was clean and fresh, the texture chunky yet smooth and silky (I pureed a small portion of the soup) and the flavor divine. And, because broccoli is the star, this is a very healthy pot of soup that perfectly suits these cooler days of winter when raw and crunchy is less satisfying than warm and creamy.

May you enjoy this easy to make, Slow-Cooked Broccoli Soup as much as we do. (I had the last of it for breakfast this morning. Yum.)

Slow-Cooked Broccoli & Potato Soup

Vegan, Gluten and Dairy-free and Very Easy to Prepare
Inspired by a gorgeous, almost two-pound broccoli crown.
Adapted from a recipe by James Peterson in Splendid Soups

Makes about 8 servings                                        Printer-Friendly Recipe 

Ingredients

2 pounds broccoli
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, ¼-inch dice (1½-2 cups)
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (1 packed tablespoon)
2 russet potatoes, peeled, ½-inch dice (3+ cups), stored in water
½ teaspoon sea salt
8 twists freshly ground pepper
8 cups vegetable broth OR 8 cups water with 2 tablespoons Better than
Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base

Preparation

1. Cut off the tough bottom inch or so of the broccoli stems. Cut the crown from the stems and divide it into florets about 1-inch in size. Peel the stalks and very thinly slice them. You should have about 12 cups of broccoli stems and florets.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the diced onion. Cover the pot and cook 4-5 minutes until translucent. Remove the lid and stir in the garlic and drained, diced potatoes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and cook about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the broccoli. Add the stock (or water and vegetable base) to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for one hour stirring occasionally.
4. Use a blender to puree 2 cups of the soup, then stir it back into the soup in the pot. Use a wooden spoon to break down some of the larger pieces of broccoli and potato. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

 Printer-Friendly Recipe