This cumin scented broccoli soup is packed with greens, plus white beans for a creamy texture and added protein.
Sometimes we all need a boost, right? Whenever I'm feeling like my diet has been a bit out of balance I turn to soup as one of the easiest ways to pack a bunch of nutrition into one nourishing meal.
And top of the list is this broccoli soup, or 'green soup', as my kids like to call it. Green soup started life as a way to use up veges that may have been a bit past it, and with a few tweaks along the way it's become one of our firm family favourites. We eat this broccoli soup at least once a week over the winter months!
Packed full of greens
I'll start by saying this is a very flexible recipe. There are base ingredients I always add, but there's plenty of scope to play around based on what's in your fridge or garden.
I always use:
- garlic, onion and celery as the base
- broccoli and broccoli stalks
- canned white beans for protein
- potato for added creaminess
- vegetable stock.
I sometimes add:
- leek
- zucchini
- leafy greens like spinach or kale
- parsley.
It's amazing how many serves of veges you can eat in soup format! I'd guess this recipe must pack a good 3-4 serves of veges per bowl as well as plenty of fibre.
I can never go past an opportunity to add protein, so I always add a can of white beans (either cannellini or butter beans). Once blended, the beans also give a creamy texture, and make the broccoli soup more filling.
You might also like to try
- Creamy tomato and cashew soup
- Sweet potato soup with tamari pumpkin seeds
- Cauliflower and walnut soup with a smoky crumb topping
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 sticks of celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 1 can white beans (cannellini or butter beans) drained and well rinsed
- 1 potato chopped (floury is best, I used Agria)
- 1 broccoli florets and stalk, chopped
- 8 large spinach leaves chopped (approx. 3 cups)
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan or stock pot. Add onion, celery, garlic, cumin seeds and chilli flakes, then cook over a low to medium heat until everything is really soft and fragrant.
- Next add your vegetable stock, white beans and potato. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft.
- Add the broccoli stalks and cook for a few minutes before adding the broccoli florets and spinach, then cook for another five minutes, topping up with a little extra boiling water if needed. Watch the cooking time - you want your broccoli to be soft enough to blend, but don't overdo it otherwise it'll start to smell sulphurous which is not what you want at all.
- Blend until smooth, then add the zest and juice of a lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve sprinkled with extra chilli flakes, if you like.
RECIPE NOTES
- First published 6 June 2015, updated 2 May 2021.
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