This broccoli soup is a perfect antidote for a day of bad eating. I find myself making a soup like this for a light dinner after Paul spends a Sunday afternoon with the boys watching football. Watching football really means eating wings, nachos, pigs in a blanket and drinking beer. He's not usually hungry for dinner on those days, but at 7:30 or 8:00pm he's looking for something to fill "his empty spot". A bowl of soup served with a crusty bread does the trick.
I must admit, I love a good broccoli cheddar soup, but sometimes you want to go lighter. I make this creamy broccoli soup with low fat milk or non-fat evaporated milk and a little bit of parmesan cheese. It is thickened with my secret weapon.... a potato. It cooks up in about 45 minutes.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch of broccoli, chopped into small pieces, including the stems (about 5 cups)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 quart chicken broth (vegetable broth for a vegetarian version)
- 1 cup of evaporated non-fat milk
- 2 heaping tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese and more for a shaved parmesan garnish
- salt and pepper*
- red pepper - optional
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a heavy pot.
- Add the shallots and celery and sauté over medium heat until the the vegetables are softened, do not brown them.
- Add chopped broccoli, potato and chicken broth to the pot. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
- After it reaches a boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes until the broccoli and potatoes are soft.
- Now you have a choice, you can allow the soup to cool slightly, and puree it in a blender in 2 batches OR you can use a stick blender and carefully blend it right in the pot. The stick blender gives you a little chunkier texture, it's your call.
- Return the soup to the pot (if you used the blender) and stir in the milk, heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with shaved parmesan and sprinkle of red pepper.
* I don't indicate amounts of salt and pepper because I don't know what kind of broth you are using. I use homemade and it is well seasoned, so I don't add much salt at all. The parmesan will add salt so go gently. You can always add seasoning, you can't take it out.
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