Cream of Broccoli Soup
Cream of broccoli soup is a simple and hearty soup, made with broccoli, onion, cream, and vegetable broth. It was popularized in the United States by the Campbell Soup Company, which rolled out a canned version in 1990 [1], and has since become a mainstay of cafeterias around the country. Cream of broccoli soup is traditionally thickened with a flour and butter roux. However, here we employ a blender to obtain a similar thickness from the broccoli itself. This results in a healthier soup which also tastes much more like broccoli than the canned version!
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
12 oz broccoli
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot over low heat, and add the diced onions to the butter. Sweat the onions, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. The onions should not color during the sweat—if they begin to brown, turn down the heat!
While the onions sweat, cut the broccoli into florets, and slice the stalks into pieces ¼ of an inch thick. While we won’t be eating the broccoli directly, cutting the broccoli into small pieces is necessary for even cooking. Add the broccoli to the pot, together with 4 cups of vegetable broth. The broth should come close to covering the broccoli. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. We want the broccoli to be tender, but not overcooked. Overcooking broccoli destroys both its delicate flavor and bright green color, both of which are important to this soup. The broccoli should still be bright green when cooked properly.
When the broccoli is tender, kill the heat and blend the soup with an immersion blender. Alternately, blend the soup in batches in a countertop blender, and return it to the pot.
Stir 1 cup of heavy cream into the pureed soup, and bring to a simmer to warm the soup through. Once the soup simmers, remove it from the heat. Season liberally with salt and black pepper, and serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese or croutons, if desired.
Substitutions
If you want the cream of broccoli soup to have a greener color, use more broccoli florets and omit the stalks, or throw in a handful of spinach just prior to blending.
Chicken broth can be substituted for vegetable broth in this soup. Herbs such as thyme are also welcome additions.
[1] As part of the debut of their canned cream of broccoli soup, the Campbell Soup Company launched the “How to Get President Bush to Eat Broccoli” contest, challenging contestants to develop a recipe using canned cream of broccoli soup that President George H.W. Bush would eat. The elder Bush had famously loathed the vegetable, banning it from both the White House and Air Force One during his time in office.
Recipe
Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 20 min Total Time: 25 min
Difficulty: 2/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: pot, immersion blender or blender
Servings: 6
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
12 oz broccoli
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
Instructions
1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a pot over low heat. Add the diced onion to the pot and sweat for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the broccoli pieces to pot, and cover with vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or blend in batches in a blender) until smooth.
4. Stir 1 cup heavy cream into the soup, and bring to a simmer to warm through. When the soup reaches a simmer, remove from the heat.
5. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, and serve with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.
