This soup tastes very rich and creamy, which is wonderful considering how healthy it is- just some parmigiano reggiano rind and greek yogurt and boom! You have a healthy creamy soup with a great depth of rich cheesy flavor. I also snuck in some spinach and carrot for some added nutrients.
In case you're interested, two things inspired this dish:
1. My recent trip to Romania to visit Trent. Soup with croutons is a pretty common menu item, and we ordered it several times. Let me tell you, croutons aren't just for salads! It was so tasty, and the quirky part was that they always served the croutons on the side in a bowl which I really liked because it kept the croutons from getting soggy. Add a few, take some bites, add a few, take some bites...you get the idea.
2. The weather! It's chilly and breezy and starting to feel like Fall. That is all I needed to indulge in my passion (perhaps that is too strong of a description?) for soup. I believe I've stated this before, but I love, love, love cooking soup. You just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, it turns out so tasty and flavorful, warms you up, stores well in the freezer and it's easy to make it healthy. So my apologies in advance for the massive increase in soup recipes I will begin posting until next summer.
"Creamy" Broccoli Soup
- 1 Large onion (you may need two small or medium ones)
- 5 Cloves of garlic (sounds like a lot, but cooked garlic is very mild)
- 4 Crowns of broccoli florets (4 full stems)
- 8 Baby Carrots or 1 large carrot (I had baby carrots in the fridge, wanted some extra flavor, so I threw them in there!)
- 3 Cups fresh baby spinach (you can always put more)
- Parmigiano reggiano rind (if you grate your own cheese, no need to throw out the rind any more! Have a gruyere or asiago rind instead? Don't be wasteful- use what you have, especially if it's a strong flavored cheese)
- 5.5 Cups water (more or less, depending on the quantity you use for other ingredients)
- 1.5 Veggie bouillon cubes (alternatively, sub this and water for chicken stock)
- 1/2 Teaspoon ground pepper
- A dash of cayenne pepper
- 3/4 Cup (6 oz) plain greek yogurt
Crunch Garlic Croutons
- 1 Loaf crust bread (cut into 3/4-1 inch cubes, I ended up having about 5 cups cubed. day old bread works well for this, great way to use up leftovers!)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
Chop the onion and garlic- rough chop is fine since you will be blending this soup at the end. Chop the baby carrots.
Sauté the onion for several minutes, until beginning to turn translucent. Add the garlic and carrots and sauté for several more minutes.
Rinse the broccoli and chop the florets from the stems. Add the broccoli, veggie cubes and pepper to the sautéing onions, garlic and carrot.
Add about 5.5 cups of water to the pot of sautéing vegetables, add the parmigiano reggiano rind, and add the spinach and a dash of cayenne pepper. Bring to boil and let it continue to boil for at least 20 minutes.
Now it's time to make some croutons! Cut the bread into about 3/4 or 1 inch cubes, place in bowl (I had about 5 cups from 3/4th of a round loaf) and toss well with the olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Place on an aluminum foil-lined pan and spread out evenly.
Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, flip and bake another 3-5 minutes (keep an eye on it, may need to flip it earlier, take it out earlier or bake it longer).
Now back to the soup. If you've let it boil for a while, remove the cheese rind. It should be gooey looking if you've let it boil together long enough! Use an emersion blender to blend the soup. Add the greek yogurt and continue blending until it has a smooth consistency.
Check for taste- it should have enough flavor where you don't have to add extra salt (on top of veggie cube or chicken broth).
You can serve it Romanian style (croutons on the side)...
...or for a prettier look, just top the bowl with some croutons!
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