Pureed Broccoli Soup: Healthy Goodness for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Looking for more ways to get more veggies into my diet and go back to recalibrating my eating and getting back to healthy, I found this easy Pureed Broccoli Soup in the February Eating Well magazine. Broccoli in its whole form is not a good friend to my digestive system so sadly I usually avoid it, but it does fine for me pureed into a soup. This one gets a nice flavor from the thyme and is a great warming starter to a meal or would pair well a sandwich for a simple lunch or light dinner.

Eating Well says, "This easy broccoli soup recipe makes a big batch. The leftovers are great for lunch."


Pureed Broccoli Soup
Eating Well Magazine, February 2011
(Makes 8 Servings--About 1 Cup Each)
Active Time: 35 Minutes / Total Time: 55 minutes

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 reduced-sodium chicken broth, "no-chicken" broth or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half (optional) (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook for about 10 seconds.

Stir in the broccoli. Add broth and water; bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender. Stir in half-and-half(if using), salt and pepper.

To Make Ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Info: Per Serving: 69 calories; 4g fat (1g sat, 2g mono); 4mg cholesterol; 7g carbohydrates; 0g added sugars; 4g protein; 3g fiber; 458 mg sodium; 349 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (80% daily value), Vitamin A (23% dv), Folate (21% dv).


Notes/Results: Fairly low effort and with good flavor, this is a nice basic soup. You can leave out the half-and-half if you want a thinner soup or need it to be non-dairy. In my case since I try to stay away from a lot of dairy because of my asthma/allergy issues, I replaced the half-and-half with the same amount of almond milk---not quite as creamy but still good. If you don't care about the dairy and don't mind a few calories, sprinkling some cheddar cheese on the top before serving would be a nice addition. I would make this again.

Let's take a look in the Souper (Soup, Salad and Sammie) Sundays kitchen and see who is here and of course what they brought.

First up is Nicole from Cocoa and Coriander--Nico's Tiny Kitchen with a sunny-hued, Spicy Lentil Soup with Bacon. She says, "This particular soup was amazing when I made it on Friday, but the leftovers have been even better as the flavors continue to combine and complicate each other! It is a perfect post holiday soup because of the fact that it has great flavor and heartiness but it is also pretty healthy and low in fat due to the vegetables and lentils."

Another lentil fan, Julie from Little Bit of Everything is back this week with a French Lentil Soup. Julie says, "I found this recipe over at Tomatoes on the Vine. Velva has a great blog. If you haven't been there, stop by. You'll find some great recipes and an occasional special cocktail! I love the spice combinations in this soup. Lentils need spice or the soup can be too bland. This is a perfect soup for cold winter day."

A warm Souper Sunday welcome to Julie from Tastemonials, joining us from Northern California and making her first appearance at Souper Sundays with a hearty Potato-Cheese Soup. She says, "Winter is the season for soups and stews. I could eat them every night. But when my son was growing up, he wouldn’t eat anything with multiple ingredients. That meant no soup, stew or casseroles. This soup was the only exception. Not only would he eat this potato cheese soup, he would ask for seconds and wipe the bowl completely clean with his bread. It has long been a favorite of every child who has every dined at our house."

Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice shares a flavorful Cabbage, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Soup. She says, "A savory, sweet and spicy soup packed to the hilt with vegetables, beans and even a bit of fruit. Shredded cabbage adds body and texture to the broth of the soup and serves as a backdrop for sweet potatoes, black beans and apple. Finished with a sprinkle of shredded cheese, this warm and nourishing soup will comfort you from the inside out! And the outside in."

Janet from The Taste Space made a Tomato Chickpea Soup with Rosemary and says, "Sometimes all I want is a nice, big bowl of soup. Something fresh and light yet filling enough for a meal. My belly screams for something simple and nourishing. Enter this delightful soup adapted from Orangette. It is a tomato soup at its core, light-tasting with the sprinkle of sugar mellowing the acid from the tomatoes. The rosemary adds an interesting twist, but is not an overpowering flavour. And then you add in chickpeas, which is why this is such a deceivingly hearty soup. Half are pureed, creating bulk for the soup. The other half are left intact for mouth feel. Delicious."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes has a Black Bean Soup to share and says, "You know sometimes people leave me nice comments about my photos. And I appreciate them, I really do. But I do so wish that I had time to do some actual styling. But I don’t. If I take to too long, my food gets cold, and hubby starts making unhappy sounds. The picture above is a prime example of my pathetic skills. I tried mixing the sour cream with a little milk and putting it in an empty squeeze bottle and making some sort of fancy swirl. Didn’t work. So, I artfully scattered some cilantro on top. Sad, isn’t it." I think it looks good--and hopefully it was delicious! ;-)

Shri from Tiffin Carrier Antic/ques is back again this week with a beautiful Pumpkin and Carrot Soup and says, "This soup has its roots in one of my favourite Kerala dishes, the humble Olan. This mild dish is made with just coconut milk, the heat/spicing coming from hot green chillies cooked alongwith the vegetables. This was an easy Sunday version in the comfort of the sunday paper, books, and the lovely winter sunlight streaming in."



About her Brussels Stew, Gwen from Simply Healthy Family says, "This is in all respects a 'peasant stew'. Peasant stew can be defined by using just a few simple ingredients that are already in your cupboard or ice box. That's what happened here. I had purchased a big stock of Brussels and needed to use up the last bit. I always have onion and garlic a plenty and of course threw them into the pot. I happened to have ground turkey in the fridge which is a rarity these days as we are limiting meat. I thought it would taste wonderful in this stew and I was right.... obviously. ;) Canelini beans went in because they too just felt right. Some home made chicken broth, a can of stewed tomatoes, a few herbs tossed in and Voila! Brussels Stew in your pot."

Heather of girlichef made us our only sandwich of the week, these mouth-watering: Lamb Mini Meatball Pitas made with Nigella's lamb mini meatball recipe. She says, "Who's up for a mini meatball sammich!? They were excellent stuffed into a grilled whole wheat pita with sliced red onion, baby spinach, cucumber, tomato, feta and then drizzled with Tzatziki sauce! Um yes...I'm totally craving one now. Right. Now. ...Once the meatballs are made, this makes a quick, flavor-packed meal that you can throw together at any time. "

Terrific soups and a delicious sandwich made to fill you up and keep you warm and cozy! Thanks to everyone who joined in (I promise to get around to visit your posts later tonight). If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo button on my sidebar for all of the details.

*****As mentioned last week, Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays is posting several hours before the deadline this week as I am traveling, working and heading to meetings today. I posted everything I had, but if anything comes in before the regular deadline today, I will post it tonight when I get back to the hotel.

Have a great week!