Description
This Creamy Broccoli Soup with Pesto is deeply nourishing, full of flavor, and made with simple ingredients in under 35 minutes. Gluten-free & Vegan-adaptable!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 lbs broccoli, stems too!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter, or ghee)
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 4–6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 3 cups veggie broth or chicken stock, divided ( or use water and 2-3 teaspoons- Better than Boullion)
- 1 cup almond milk (or cashew milk, whole milk or half and half)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- handful baby spinach- optional for vibrant color!
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- Pinch cayenne (optional)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (feel free to use vegan, or a splash of heavy cream), more to taste.
Garnish: Pesto (store-bought, Homemade Pesto, or Arugula pesto), Parmesan Crisps, Vegan Cheesy Sprinkle
Instructions
- Thinly slice the broccoli stems and break apart the florets into very small pieces. Chop the onion and garlic.
- In a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt, until golden and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the broccoli stems, and pour in the stock or broth and bring to boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently 3-4 minutes.
- Place the broccoli florets over the top. Don’t mix them in. Cover, and simmer gently, allowing the florets to steam, until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. You want them tender enough to blend but not overly cooked or you’ll lose that vibrant color.
- Turn the heat off. Blend in two batches (I found using a blender was better here, my immersion blender did not work as well) adding half of the almond milk to each batch, along with the basil. Blend until smooth. Add a handful of spinach for richer color if you like.
- Return the soup to the pot and stir in the yogurt or sour cream or even a splash of heavy cream. Gently warm the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with a swirl of pesto, crusty bread, or Parmesan crips. Enjoy!
Notes
If you like the soup to be extra vibrant green, add a handful of baby spinach to the blender, or extra basil.
If your soup lacks depth, see Expert Tips in the post above. 🙂
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups with 1 tablespoon pesto
- Calories: 269
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 966.4 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.5 g
- Fiber: 6.3 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 8.5 mg