Cream of broccoli and spinach soup is the inspiration of children’s nightmares. Even in most cafeterias, you tend to end up with more cream than vegetables, thickened excessively with flour and way too salty. Flipping through rebar, I came across this recipe and was immediately dubious. Who is crazy enough to venture into making cream of broccoli and spinach soup? Deciding that rebar is an excellent cookbook, against my better instinct, I decided to attempt the soup.
May I pronounce that this soup has remedied all reserve I had about cream of broccoli and spinach soup? Light and packed with flavour, it was truly hard to put my spoon down. The trick is to not overcook the vegetables and to be light-handed on the cream: I substituted milk, and it was just perfect. On its own, this soup is tasty; adding a swirl of pesto (a rebar recommendation) brought the soup to a whole new level of deliciousness!
Cream of Broccoli and Spinach Soup
(6 servings)
Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon thyme
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon red chile flakes
1 large potato, peeled and diced
4 broccoli stalks and florets, chopped
½ pound baby spinach
1 cup milk/cream
½ teaspoon cracked pepper
Garnish with almond-Romano parsley pesto
https://gourmeh.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/almond-romano-parsley-pesto/
Directions:
In a large saucepan, sauté oil, onion, garlic, and thyme until onions are transluscent. Stir in salt, chile flakes, potato, and broccoli and cook until tender. Add stock to vegetables and bring to a boil; allow to simmer, partially covered until the broccoli and potatoes are tenders, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Once the spinach is wilted, puree the soup until smooth. Reheat the puree, add the milk, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Delicious on its own, or swirl in a few teaspoons of almond-Romano parsley pesto.
– Catherine
This recipe looks amazing. I might try it out.
[…] 3. Cream of Broccoli and Spinach Soup – Concocted during Catherine’s month of vegetarianism, she’d eat this any day of the week! […]
This broccoli soup rocks. It’s packed with flavour and leaves the gelatinous green goo other people call broccoli soup in the dust. And the Almond-Romano Pesto was a fantastic touch that took the whole thing over the top.
Hey thanks! We love this recipe too, and it’s a favourite as the days turn shorter and cooler.
Cheers!