To Try Tuesday - Cream of Broccoli Soup

It was a little bit of a surprise to find out it was Tuesday today.  It is always like this on a long weekend.  I think that the holiday Monday is Sunday, Tuesday is Monday, and so on.  It usually takes me a week to catch up with the right day.  However, I already had my To Try Tuesday made and ready to be blogged about.



This week's recipe comes from Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.  Deb also lives in Hawaii and we met up recently for coffee.  She is a great person and so easy to talk to.  If you haven't been over to visit her blog I strongly urge you to do so.  It is full of wonderful recipes, including the broccoli soup that I made for this post and her split pea soup that recently made the Foodbuzz Top 9.

This soup is souper-easy easy to make and so tasty.  To make it even easier I purchase a bag of broccoli from Costco that is already cut up.  Basically there is a little sautéing of the onions, celery, and garlic and then everything else goes in the pot until tender.  I used my immersion blender rather than transferring everything to a regular blender to purée it. I didn't have any thyme so I omitted it, but I will definitely add it next time.  I also added some cream and a little grated Parmesan cheese to finish the soup.  It was delicious!   We easily served 6 with left-overs.  I am sure it is going to be even better tomorrow.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 8 cups chopped broccoli
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts.
2. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add garlic and thyme; cook for about 10 seconds.
4. Stir in the broccoli.
5. Add broth and water; bring to a lively simmer over high heat.
6. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes.
7. Puree the soup in batches in a blender (I used my immersion blender).
8. Stir in cream (if using), and season with salt and pepper.
9. This recipe can be made ahead - cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from Eating Well Magazine, February 2011