I love vegetables and have been trying to eat more than I had been. An easy way to do that is to make up a soup that is heavy on vegetables. I had a big bag of Costco broccoli in my freezer that needed to be used so I found a recipe, and then doctored it up a bit for my taste and thought I’d share it with you guys today. It took about 45 minutes total to chop, cook and then puree. I got some other things done while the broccoli was cooking down.
Here are the ingredients you will need:
2-1/2 Tablespoons of Butter
1-1/2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium sized onion, chopped
2 Stalks of Celery, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Teaspoon of Parsley or Thyme (I used parsley since I had it fresh)
8 cups of Broccoli (fresh or frozen, chopped)
2 cups of Water
4 cups reduced-sodium Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup of cream or half and half (optional-I used organic cream)
1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon of Fresh Ground Pepper
1/4 cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese (feel free to sub out another cheese)
1/5 cup of chopped Munster Cheese (feel free to use whatever you have on hand)
- Heat butter and oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme (or parsley); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- Stir in broccoli. Add water and broth; bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 8 more minutes.
- Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids – I put a towel over the top of blender in case I pureed too much at a time.) Stir in the optional cream, cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Have a great, happy, healthy and intentional day!
*** Be Still and Know *
