Quick and Easy Broccoli Soup Recipes
What could be more satisfying than a broccoli soup which is easy to make - and good for you too? Broccoli has many health promoting qualities, is cheap and easy to cook with. Oh, and broccoli is low in calories too.......
Choose from a sumptuous cream of broccoli soup, a simple healthy broccoli soup recipe and even a creamy soup without dairy. Get some great tips on how to buy, prepare and store broccoli and find out why something that tastes so good can also benefit your health.
Buying Broccoli
How to Choose and Store Broccoli
Buy broccoli in season (from October through May) and locally if possible. Organic is always my first choice.
When shopping for broccoli choose tight, deep colored florets. The deeper the color the more phytonutrients. Usually the smaller the broccoli head the better the flavor.
Broccoli is best used within a few days for maximum taste and nutritional value. The place to store it is in the hydrator drawer or crisper of the refrigerator. It will keep for 5 to 7 days. Never wash the broccoli before you store it as it may develop mold.
Broccoli freezes really well too. Cut into florets and slice the stems. Blanch for 3-4 minutes and then rinse in cold water (this is to stop the cooking process). Drain the broccoli and let it dry. Place is an airtight container and freeze. Buying frozen broccoli can also be a good choice.
Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe
How to make the best cream of broccoli soup
Serves 6
2 tablespoons butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped celery stalk
3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
8 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan - a medium stock pot is the best to use. Add the finely chopped onions and celery and saute until soft.
Add the broccoli and the stock to the pan. You can use either chicken or vegetable stock depending on your taste and preference. Simmer for approx 10 minutes until the broccoli is tender. Be careful not to overcook as this spoils the flavor. Puree the soup in a blender and our back into the saucepan.
In a separate pan make a roux mixture (the basis for many sauces). This is what adds the creamy taste and texture.
Heat the 3 tablespoons of butter until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour. When the butter and flour are combined return to the heat for a short while.
Remove the roux mixture from the heat and slowly add the milk until all of it is combined. If it becomes lumpy use a whisk to smooth it out. Return the mixture to the heat and gently heat. The mixture will gradually thicken.
Add the roux to your cooked broccoli and gently reheat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Quick and Easy Recipe Soup
Gordon Ramsay Broccoli Soup
I make this Gordon Ramsay broccoli soup at least once a week at home. This recipe is my all time favorite. Simple, inexpensive and quick to make. It is a big hit with all the family. Even my picky 6 year old will eat it!
Serves 4
2 1/4lb broccoli
Sea Salt and Pepper
4 Slices of Soft Goat Cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds or walnuts, lightly toasted
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to drizzle
The secret of this broccoli soup recipe is in it's simplicity. You will not believe how easy it is to make or how satisfying it is to eat until you have tried it.
Watch Gordon Ramsay preparing his broccoli soup.
Gordon Ramsay Cooks Broccoli Soup
This is one of my favorite broccoli soup recipes
Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy
Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 12/02/2008)
One of my favorite recipe books which I refer to all the time when I need a quick, reliable and simple recipe. Amongst my favorite recipes here are of course the broccoli soup recipe, risotto of wild mushrooms, tomato and mozarella pizza, and turnip soup. For dessert Gordon Ramsay serves up one of my favorite pecan pie recipes!
Is Broccoli Good For You?
You bet is is!
Well his aversion to the vegetable had a great effect. In part because of his statement the press took upon the cause of broccoli. In the same year a John Hopkins University study announced a study showing the anti cancer properties of broccoli.
Broccoli is now one of the best selling vegetables in the United States.
When fresh and not overcooked your broccoli will reach your table full of vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, fiber, folate potassium and iron. Broccoli also contains a special enzyme sulforaphane which research shows may be an 'anti-cancer' ingredient. So not only does broccoli taste great but it is also a Super Food!
One cup of cooked broccoli has more than 100 per cent of the adult recommended daily allowance for Vitamin c. So eating your greens really is good for you.
Another benefit? Broccoli is low in calories. Just 32 calories in 100 grams.
Soup Recipe Books
New England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation's Best Purveyor of Fine Soup
More than 100 of the best soup recipes Boston has to offer accompanied by fun stories and beautiful full-color photography.
Marjorie Druker is passionate about soups. She fell in love with soups when she first heard the story Stone Soup. After attending Johnston & Whales, Marjorie created the menu for the popular Boston Market restaurant chain, and soups were always her favorite. "My niche is taking what people like to eat and turning it into a soup," she says.
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/02/2008)
The Best Soups & Stews (Best Recipe)
collection of more than 200 recipes covering just about every soup and stew imaginable. Choose from perennial favorites such as Manhattan clam chowder, cream of tomato soup, Cincinnati chili, and beef barley soup or international recipes such as hot-and-sour soup, borscht, and miso soup.
The Best Soups and Stews also contains 200 illustrations that show you how to cut up a chicken, defat stock, shape matzo balls, mince ginger, and much more. No-nonsense equipment ratings and taste tests of supermarket ingredients are also included. Find out which supermarket chicken broth received our highest rating, which blender turns out the smoothest pureed soups, and which pot is best for making stews. An amazingly comprehensive cook book.
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/02/2008)
Chicken Soup for the Soul Recipes for Busy Moms (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
Do you find yourself scrambling to pull together a healthy meal at the end of a hectic day, let alone a meal that doesn't come in a take-out container? Are you looking for some deliciously simple recipes to add to your family's favorites? Look no further: Help has arrived come mealtime! With resourceful kitchen hints for stretching your budget and using leftovers, you can bring your family to the table with meals that everyone will enjoy. This is one cookbook you won't want to be without.
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 12/02/2008)
Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup
Vegan and no Dairy Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe
Cream of broccoli soup does not always have to be about dairy. Here is a great non dairy alternative using rice milk.
Serves 4
6 Cups of Broccoli Florets
3 Cups of Vegetable Stock
Half a Cup of Chopped Parsley
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Flour
2 Cups of Rice Milk
Salt and Pepper To Taste
1. Chop the broccoli florets and stems into small pieces. Put the broccoli into a meduim sized stock pot with the sotck and brind to the boil. Simmer until tender. Remember not to over cook as this will spoil the flavor.
2. Place the broccoli with the liquid, parsley and thyme into a blender. You can also use a foodmill or mash and strain through a sieve but I find the blender the easiest method.
3. Make the roux white sauce mixture in a large saucepan. Heat the olive oil. Slowly add the flour and mix into the oil. Cook this on a very low heat for approx 10 minutes. Then slowly add the rice milk. It is better to do this with a whisk as it can go lumpy!
4. Add the blended broccoli into the sauce mixture and stir whilst on a low heat. Make sure that this does not boil.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
More Broccoli Recipes
101 Ways to Fix Broccoli
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
This "user friendly" broccoli cookbook contains nutritious recipes for salads, soups, entrees, casseroles and a potpourri of other interesting dishes. Each recipe lists the calories, protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium and fat in grams as well as percentage, none of which exceed 30% fat. Many of the recipes work just as well when another vegetable in substituted for the broccoli.
Great Blenders
How Do I Make My Broccoli Soup Taste Even Better?
Seasoning is the key to great cooking
Whichever broccoli soup recipe you are using take some time to learn a simple step that will take your cooking to the next level. It is a step that many of us forget and don't take enough care with.
So what is it? Seasoning. As simple as that. Salt and pepper can transform your broccoli soup from bland to something very special. Add and taste. And taste again. You will notice the difference.
Are you a broccoli soup fan?
Do You Have a Favorite Broccoli Soup Recipe?
rockycha wrote...
Yum for Broccoli! Thanks for visiting my lens today :) High Fivers on this scrumptious lens!
Posted November 19, 2008
HomeTowne_Market wrote...
Sounds amazing for this cold/snowy winter day! I guess I need to buy broccoli tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
Posted November 19, 2008
TheGreenerMe wrote...
I love broccoli soup, but I haven't had it in a long time. I think I might make it soon! I'm going to lensroll this to my vegetarian recipes lens.
Posted November 19, 2008
