Today’s broccoli potato soup recipe cooks a hearty soup out of ordinary ingredients.
What Does Broccoli Add to Potato Soup?
Broccoli can be a nightmare on Thanksgiving to some people, but to us it’s the best vegetable. Its earthy flavor is already inviting, and if you let it char just a little in the pan, a whole new flavor spectrum is unlocked. Broccoli, sauteed with just garlic and served with quality soy sauce, is already very divine of a side.
With this property, broccoli just adds this fresh nuttiness to the savory potato soup. It’s just seasoned with salt and pepper to highlight each and every original flavor. It’s the next best thing to a bacon potato soup, the first if you’re looking for a no-meat soup.
The soup is finished with a swirl of cream and served with crispy bread, a perfect side for a fine evening.
What Makes Broccoli Potato Soup Healthy
Soups with a creamy texture typically use a lot of cheese or cream, but the amount we used is kept to a minimum. We did the same with salt, to lower the sodium content within each serving to an acceptable level.
When all is done, one bowl of this soup yields 200 calories, 4 g saturated fats, and 285 mg sodium.
In terms of micronutrients, broccoli is indeed a nutritious addition to the soup. It brings great amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K1, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, and more.
Ingredients You Will Need
You’ll need about 1 head of broccoli, 5-6 russet potatoes, half a carrot, half an onion, 3-4 garlic cloves, some chicken stock, cream, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper. Also, some baguettes are needed for serving:
Which Part of the Broccoli Can You Use?
If you’re just going to use the florets then it’s pretty wasteful looking at the stems you’re discarding. Well that stem is edible, too, and it just needs a bit of trimming.
With a peeler, shave that outer layer of the giant stem away. This layer is what makes the stem inedible and very fibrous, like an asparagus stem. You also want to peel twice at the same spot since it’s a pretty thick layer.
Once that’s done, you should be left with something of a lighter color. Slice it thinly or cut it however you like, and it’s ready. It should be as soft in texture as asparagus when cooked.
Stock Choice
A good chicken stock or vegetable stock (that’s unsalted) is all you need. If you’ve run out of stock, water also works well.
Optional Ingredients
We’d say vegetables that add textures. Button mushrooms are nice and chewy. Sweet corn adds some juiciness as well. Spinach is wonderfully soft. You get the idea.
If you’d like something more nutritious, canned beans or peas are some nice proteins to consider. Lentils are nice too, but they need to be soaked first and best cooked separately, a little laborious.
Without this no-meat theme going on, right off the bat we can think of bacon, pan-fried or air-fried until crispy, then crumbled and sprinkled on top of the soup. Shaved ham or cubed SPAM is also wonderful, adding some salty bites along with great savoriness.
These options are rich in sodium, though, so you might want to consider your sodium intake of the day when consuming them.
Storage and Reheating
This soup keeps for about 4 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Store each portion in an individual container, so that it’s easier to reheat just the portions you need.
To reheat, leave the container on the counter for 5-10 minutes so the soup releases from the container. Transfer it to a pot, and heat on medium heat until bubbling.
For the bread, cut it into slices and place it in the freezer. Air-fry, bake, or put it in the toaster and it’ll become crispy. This method works best for fresh bread—you must be very careful with toasted bread, or it’ll burn when reheated.
Broccoli Potato Soup Recipe
Today’s broccoli potato soup recipe uses just ordinary ingredients to make a warm and flavorful soup. It comes together in just 25 minutes.
- cook TIME 17 mins
- prep TIME 8 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Side Dish
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 201 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
- 6 oz broccoli (cut into florets)
- 2 oz carrot (chopped)
- 1 oz onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
- 0.5 oz cheddar (shredded)
- 1 oz french baguette (cut on a bias)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation:
Cut 12 oz potatoes into chunks.
Cut 6 oz broccoli: place the broccoli on the cutting board, stem pointing up. With a paring knife, slice the large florets away from the stem, one by one. Half or quarter the larger pieces so the florets look even. Optional: peel the large stem to reveal the tender inside, then thinly slice it to put in sauté.
Peel and chop 2 oz carrots.
Peel and chop 1 oz onion.
Smash 2 garlic cloves with a knife, then peel and chop them.
Finely chop 2 tbsp parsley.
Shred 0.5 oz cheddar.
Cut 1 oz baguette on a bias.
Instructions:
Sauté the aromatics: Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat for 1 minute. Add 1/2 tbsp garlic and 1 oz onion, and sauté for about 1 minute.
Add the potatoes and carrots: Add 12 oz potatoes and 2 oz carrots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the seasonings: season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the broth and milk: pour in 1 cup unsalted chicken broth, 1 cup whole milk and 6 oz broccoli. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, uncovered. Then add 2 tbsp heavy cream. Stir to combine, and remove from heat.
Blend: with an immersion blender blend the soup to your desired consistency. We like it a little chunky.
Add garnish: Sprinkle 2 tbsp parsley on top. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, and use 0.5 oz shredded cheddar to top each bowl. Enjoy with 1 oz baguette.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author