HEALTHY FOOD so TASTY you'll
want to eat it EVERYDAY.
BROCCOLI SOUP
Broccoli soup is a favorite in our house as an afternoon pick-me-up, pre-dinner starter, or a hearty lunch with a crusty piece of whole grain bread topped with a bit of melted cheese. The fresh spinach added after cooking enhances the green color and boosts the nutrient power. Just get it in you!
Drizzled with basil oil
PREP TIME: 10 min
STOVE TIME:
Wonderbag Method 15 min
Conventional Method 50 min
SERVES: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SOUP
-
3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
-
1 yellow onion, diced
-
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp dried basil
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1 tsp dried oregano
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1 clove garlic
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1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped (about 1 lb/500 g)
-
1 TBSP (15 ml) Dijon mustard
-
4 cups (1 litre) chicken or vegetable stock
-
1 ½ cup (40 g) fresh spinach (reserved for after cooking)
-
Salt to taste (see cook's notes)
OPTIONAL GARNISH
-
Basil oil (mix finely diced basil with olive oil and let stand 1 day to infuse. Use over soups, salad or bread).
-
Fresh basil leaves
Broccoli, mustard, onion, dried herbs & garlic.
COOK THE SOUP
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
1) Heat a 2 ½ quart (3 litre) pot on medium-high. Add olive oil and onions and saute 5 minutes, until onions are soft and start to brown.
2) Add garlic and herbs and cook for one minute to toast the spices and activate their flavors.
3) Add the broccoli, mustard, and stock/broth, and bring to a boil.
4) Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes.
WONDERBAG METHOD
1) Heat a 2 ½ quart (3 litre) pot on medium-high. Add olive oil and onions and saute 5 minutes, until onions are soft and start to brown.
2) Add garlic and herbs and cook for one minute to toast the spices and activate their flavors.
3) Add the broccoli, mustard, and stock/broth, and bring to a boil.
4) Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
5) Seal your lidded pot in the Wonderbag and leave to cook for a minimum of 45 minutes (you can also leave it 2-3 hours if you get busy, no worries)
SERVE
When ready to serve, remove the pot from the Stove or Wonderbag, add the fresh spinach and puree the mixture into a smooth consistency using a hand/staff blender (or transfer to a food processor or drinks blender), then salt to taste (see Cook's Notes below).
Get the greens in you!
Top with fresh basil and a drizzle of basil oil as desired.
Drizzled with basil oil.
Recipe and photo credit: Cathy Menees
COOKS NOTES
INGREDIENTS
SALT: I use an organic chicken broth that is not very salty at all, thus I use 1 tsp of salt in this recipe. If you use a broth with a lot of added salt (I don’t recommend that…they can over do it) then you might not need to add any salt at all. Taste it first, and then you’ll get a feel for how much salt you need.
SPINACH: Blend in fresh spinach leaves AFTER the soup has cooked to keep the flavor light and delicate. If you cook the spinach with the soup, you'll get a more bitter taste. Still yummy to adults, but maybe not to kids.
GARNISH
While this soup is delicious un-garnished, the basil oil elevates the soup for those ‘dinner party’ nights.
You can buy basil-infused oil or simply make your own by blending a few basil leaves with olive oil and letting it sit (refrigerated) for at least a day to infuse. It will keep up to 3 weeks for other yummy uses...like Caprese salad...just sayin'...
KITCHEN BUDDIES
The Wonderbag is ideal for fresh vegetable soups to enable a slow cook and retention of flavor and nutrients (i.e. you're not opening the soup to stir, so all goodness is trapped inside).
I use a staff mixer/hand blender to puree the soup directly in the pot (vs. transferring to a food processor or blender).
