To Know:

This ain’t your mama’s cream-of soup and it’s certainly not your chef’s. In fact it’s not technically a cream-of soup at all, because there is no dairy in it! That’s right, it is not only vegetarian, it’s vegan too!! Now before you go running toward the hills from the mention of the word “vegan”, give it a try. The cauliflower and potato lend creaminess without adding any dairy, or extra fat for that matter. And pureed all together, these ingredients result in a silky, comforting, yet super healthy soup.

Of course you don’t have to make this vegan if that is not your diet. You can substitute a little butter instead of olive oil or chicken stock instead of vegetable stock if that is what you have in the house or what you prefer. But either way, this soup is perfect as a first course for dinner, paired with a sandwich for lunch or as a little afternoon pick me up. Try topping it with a few croutons or sunflower seeds to give a little texture and crunch!

Budget Tip:  When you buy fresh broccoli, don’t throw out the stalks. Peel them, chop them, then freeze them and save for later…like when you want to make this pureed Cream of Broccoli soup!

To Get:

1  tablespoon olive oil

1/2  cup each, carrots, celery and onion, diced (about 1 large carrot, 1 large celery stalk and half an onion)

1  medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1  garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1  16-ounce bag of frozen broccoli cuts (about 4 cups)

1  8-ounce bag of frozen cauliflower (about 2 cups)

4  cups low-sodium, tomato-free vegetable stock (check the label and it will tell you whether there is tomato in it or not. You can subsitute chicken stock if you have it.)

3/4  teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon ground white pepper (ground black pepper is fine if it’s what you have)

1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice

To Do:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan.
2. Add the onions, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally and cook about 5 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
3. Add in the garlic and potatoes and cook a minute or two.
4. Next add in the broccoli, cauliflower, tomato-less vegetable stock, salt and pepper.
5. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and poke the broccoli and potatoes with a fork to make sure they are tender.
7. With an immersion blender, carefully purée the soup to your desired consistency.
8. Alternatively, you can use a regular blender and it will likely need to be done in 2 batches. Be extremely careful with this method, as stream can build up and cause hot soup to burst out of the carafe. To avoid this, remove the small clear plug and cover the hole with a dish cloth. Pulse the blender until it ceases to splash up the sides, then puree until it is as smooth as you would like.
9. Before ladling into soup bowls, stir in the fresh lemon juice, then taste for salt and pepper. Feel free to add some extra stock or water if you prefer a thinner soup.
10. Then garnish, serve and nosh!

Serves 6