Broccoli White Bean Soup

Well, that didn’t take long before I moved away from the meat, meat, chocolate recipe pattern now did it? While I would love to include another meat recipe to give you that stick-to-your-bones warmth that’s starting to feel like a necessity as the cooler air moves in, I can’t do that. But I can offer you a soup that'll make you think it's cream based.

My father always likes to joke about his first time seeing cheese and broccoli soup on a restaurant menu and thinking it was a joke. Because how could cheese be the base of a soup? While this doesn’t reach that level of sublime dairy, it does provide a healthier alternative when you’re craving a thick and hearty soup but don’t want to deal with dairy. Using pureed beans or veggies is a great alternative to thicken up sauces and soups and this one uses cannellini beans to make a really tasty broccoli soup that’s pretty much the easiest thing to make since box cake mixes were invented.

Hope you enjoy!

Broccoli White Bean Soup

From Gen Y Foodie

Surprisingly, this soup freezes and reheats nicely. I get about 5 servings from this recipe and just ladle them into plastic containers to store for later. I also tend to use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth, if only because that’s what I tend to have on hand most frequently, so feel free to do the same if you aren’t a vegetarian. Additionally, I think you could probably add an additional can of cannellini beans if you really like thick creamy soups – just the one tends to get overpowered by the broth.

Ingredients
4 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large head of broccoli (approx. 4 cups) washed and cut into florets
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
optional: parmesan cheese

Equipment

Food processor, large pot, whisk

Instructions

This recipe is basically shredding ingredients in the food processor and then adding them to the pot. Don’t bother rinsing or clean the bowl after each ingredient – they’re all ending up in the same place anyway!

Heat pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Shred the garlic gloves and onion in the food processor and add to pot. Saute for 4 -5 minutes. While garlic and onions are cooking, shred the broccoli florets in the food processor and add to onion and garlic mixture. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. While broccoli mixture is cooking, puree cannellini beans in food processor then add to pot. Season vegetable and bean mixture with salt, pepper, and paprika. Slowly add vegetable broth and whisk ingredients together to combine.

Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes until the soup reaches your favorite thickness. Serve with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Serves 5-6.