Blended Broccoli Soup

Back to my favorite- Soup!

This recipe comes from the cookbook of my favorite co-op, Ocean Beach People’s in San Diego. I love this soup for how simple and healthy it is. It’s clean enough to be eaten on a cleanse, and light enough to be served as a first course. 

¼ cup olive oil

2 cups carrots, diced

2 cups celery, diced

2 cups yellow onion, diced

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

1½ teaspoons fresh thyme

2 teaspoons sea salt

1½ teaspoons black pepper

1 lemon, zested

8 cups vegetable broth

8 cups broccoli florets

4 cups spinach

**I like to add a few dashes of cayenne and I always double the recipe and add extra broccoli.

Sauté carrots, onion, celery, and broccoli stems in olive oil for 20 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add thyme, salt, pepper, lemon zest, broccoli, and broth. Bring to a simmer without letting it boil. (The soup retains a brighter green color and tastes better if the broccoli doesn’t get overcooked.) Once the broccoli is tender, remove from heat and add spinach. Blend the soup with an immersion blender, or let it cool slightly before doing it in a blender. The immersion blender is easier, but I prefer the blender (especially a vitamix) because it gives the soup a creamier texture.

Soup!

My friends sometimes tease me about how much I love soup. I cook it year around and consider no occasion too special for its place on the table. One year I even had a soup-e-que for my birthday. (Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like– all soup, no barbeque.) I love soup because it’s healthy, satisfying, inexpensive, and you can eat the leftovers for days. Really, what’s not to love?

This recipe is a staple in my kitchen. It’s hearty, spicy and very satisfying. (not to mention delicious!)  I also like that you can modify this recipe and make a variety of soups from its base. 

Spicy Veggie Soup

1 cup of cooked brown rice

1 small can of garbanzo beans

1 tablespoon of olive oil

¾ cup of celery, chopped

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

½ cup of green beans

½ cup of corn

1 cup of carrots

1 cup of broccoli

28 oz. can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes

1½ teaspoons of thyme

2 bay leaves

1½ teaspoons of garlic, minced

1½ teaspoons of sea salt

1½ teaspoons of garlic powder

1 pinch of cayenne

A few drops of hot sauce

8 cups of vegetable broth

½ bunch of green onions

2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped

Get a big soup pot and sauté the celery, onions, and carrots in the olive oil until tender (about 20 minutes). Add garlic and spices and sauté for another few minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, corn, green beans, and broccoli. Increase the heat and allow the soup to simmer. (I prefer not to let the soup boil- it over cooks the vegetables making them mushy and decreasing their nutritional content.) Once the soup is simmering, turn to low and allow to keep simmering until the green beans and broccoli become tender. Do not over cook! Remember that you‘ll be re-heating the soup over the next couple of days so it will get the chance to cook a little further. Garnish the soup with green onion and parsley.

For variation you can switch out the garbanzo beans for chicken. I’ve also added a dollop of plain yogurt and avocado slices to make it kind of like a healthy tortilla soup. The brown rice can also be substituted for quinoa or fingerling potatoes. Don’t limit yourself to the vegetables you see here– use whatever you like.