"Cheesy" Broccoli Soup (WFPB, Vegan)
Vegetable-laden and flavorful soup that hits the spot, in a bread bowl or not. Uses common pantry and freezer ingredients that you may have on hand right now.
Servings 4 large bowls
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cashews or coconut milk
- 4 large gold or russet potatoes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli (or 1 lb fresh)
For serving (optional)
- 4 small sourdough or whole wheat bread bowls
- saltine crackers or croutons
Instructions
- Saute mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) in a large pot or dutch oven in a few tablespoons of water for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, broth, potatoes and cashews (if using). Bring to a boil and let boil until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork (about 10-13 minutes). Boiling the cashews in there helps them blend smoothly.
- Meanwhile, while soup is cooking, steam the broccoli florets in a medium-sized pot in an inch of water. Drain and rinse in cold water so they are not too hot to handle. Chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Into the pot of boiling potatoes, add the nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, coconut milk (if using), and juice of the lemon. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (or, ladle it carefully into a regular blender and blend until smooth). Do not overblend, as it can make the potatoes have a gluey texture. Stir the cooked, chopped broccoli into the soup. Save a few broccoli florets to add as garnish on top of each bowl of soup, if you want to be fancy.
- Serve in hollowed-out sourdough bread bowls (warmed in the oven), or with croutons or crackers, if desired.
