Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
on Jan 15, 2023, Updated Oct 29, 2023
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My Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup will blow you away. This recipe is inspired by my mom, who has been making and feeding me soups such as this one ever since I was a baby “Modern Nonna” and I am beyond excited for you all to taste it.
This soup is healthy, creamy, and loaded with nutrients. Our favorite cream substitute in Bulgaria has always been adding potatoes 🥔, which just happens to be a brilliant hack for dairy-free folks to enjoy creamy soups.
This recipe can help you save time in the kitchen because it doesn’t require precise chopping. You can roughly chop everything and the veggies will still blend together perfectly. If you enjoy this recipe or have made any modifications, please share them in the comments below.
Why You’ll Love Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
I think you’ll love this soup for many reasons. Firstly, it is packed with flavor and nutrients, yet it’s low in calories. This well-balanced soup will provide you with comfort and nourishment, allowing you to consume your veggies while feeling as though you are treating yourself to a high-calorie dish!
How To Prepare Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
- To prepare the soup, we begin by roughly chopping all the vegetables, without worrying about precision since we’ll be blending the soup later.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots, letting them sweat for around 5 minutes. Stir in 🧄 garlic and salt. Next, toss in the broccoli and potatoes, then pour in the stock and 💦 water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Allow it to simmer, semi-cover, and leave it for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
- Once everything is cooked, allow the soup to 🧊 cool for 10-15 minutes. It’s crucial to cool it down before blending to avoid steam expansion. Use an immersion blender in the pot or blend in batches in a stand blender, taking caution due to the heat expansion when blending hot liquids.
- If you’d like, you can create a decorative topping by piping pea-sized dots of tzatziki or yogurt in a half-moon shape and forming hearts using a toothpick. Alternatively, simply dollop the topping for a quicker finish. This step is entirely optional for presentation.
- Consider sprinkling finely chopped fresh 🌿 dill into the soup, as it beautifully complements the broccoli.
- Your Healthy Cream of Broccoli soup is now ready to be enjoyed!
Nonna’s Tip
I highly recommend enjoying this soup with homemade croutons. Simply slice the bread of choice into cubes, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and add a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning. Bake at 400F until golden.
Substitutes and Variations
- If you don’t like broccoli, use cauliflower instead.
- If vegetable broth is not available, you can use any broth of your choice, such as chicken or beef, to make this soup.
- For extra flavor, feel free to also add in my Homemade Vegetable Stock Cubes.
- Instead of tzatziki or yogurt, sour cream would be lovely on top.
Best Served With
Consider serving this easy Cream of Broccoli Soup with some delicious homemade bread. Here are some of my favorites:
- No-Knead Peasant Bread
- No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread
- Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread
- Grandma’s No-Knead Olive Bread
- No-Knead Focaccia
Other Soup Recipes
- Lasagna Soup
- Pastina Soup
- Greek Lemon Soup
- The Best Lentil Soup
- The Best Chicken Soup Ever
- Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup
- Healthiest Cream of Hidden Veggie Soup
- Hidden Veggie Meatball Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
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Most Common Questions
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Allow the soup to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Then, place it in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge to enjoy for up to 3-4 days.
If you have more leftovers than you can consume in a few days, freezing is a great option. Portion the soup into airtight containers or resealable freezer bags. Ensure there’s some room for expansion to prevent containers from cracking. Don’t forget to label the containers with the date. The soup can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy your leftover soup, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight if frozen. To reheat, use a microwave, stovetop, or an oven. Make sure to heat it thoroughly until it’s steaming hot. You may need to add a bit of water or broth to adjust the consistency.
I use Redmond Real Salt. Please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is always to taste. Therefore, always taste and adjust as you cook.
Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 peeled, chopped carrots
- 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, taste and adjust
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 cups broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 lb. potatoes , 6 small yellow potatoes that I quartered
- 4 cups vegetable stock, unsalted
- 2 cups water
- dollops of tzatziki or yogurt at the end
Instructions
- Roughly chop all of the vegetables. You do not need to be precise as the soup gets blended in the end.
- In a big pot on the stove, add the olive oil, heat it up on medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, celery, and carrots and let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and add the salt.
- Add in the broccoli and potatoes, give it a stir. Pour in the stock and water. Let the soup come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, semi-cover it and let it cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked.
- Once the soup is done, take it off the heat and let it cool. You don’t want to add hot soup to a blender, so be sure to cool it off for at least 10-15 minutes. If you don’t want to use a standing blender you can use an immersion blender and blend everything together straight into the pot.
- Hot soup (or other hot liquids, for that matter) will steam and expand in a stand blender, which can push the top off and cause a mess and burn hazard. When pureeing hot soup, do it in batches. Fill the blender 1/3 to 1/2 full, remove or loosen the center cap from the lid of the blender. Cover the lid with a folded dishcloth and hold it down when blending. Repeat with the remaining batches.
- Once the soup is blended, I like to add tzatziki or yogurt into a piping bag (or ziplock bag with one corner cut) and pipe pea-size dots in a half moon shape. I take a toothpick, skewer, or anything thin and run it through the middle of each dot without lifting it to make beautiful hearts.
- Making the hearts for presentation is totally optional so feel free to just dollop it on instead.
- You can also add finely chopped fresh dill into the soup as dill compliment broccoli beautifully. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this every couple of weeks – that is how much I love it! I double the recipe and add spinach and zucchini.
I freeze what I won’t use in a few days and although defrosting doesn’t look very appealing, once heated it tastes delicious – same as when it was originally made.
Love to hear it, Paige! Thank you!❤️
Yumm!
Followed the directions to the letter. I’m a big fan of smooth soups and this one is spot on.
Creamy texture and great taste. The dill compliments this to perfection.
Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed this, Chris. Thanks for your feedback!
You mention cauliflower as a substitute but I strongly dislike both of those veggies, have you tried with Asparagus? Or even artichokes?
I would suggest zucchini or you can take a look at my other creamy soups which are linked in the notes that don’t have broccoli or cauliflower