Broccoli Potato Soup + Bread

This is a baby friendly recipe, with broccoli florets in the soup for the children to chew. Do prepare some bread to dip into the soup. It’s also an eat clean, vegan recipe for adults too! 😉

Preparation

Prep and Cook Time

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter (or two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil).
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped.
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped. Or you can smash garlic with the side of your knife and peel.
• 1/3 Russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks.
• 2 cups of water or/and vegetable stock (I use my homemade vegetable stock).
• 1 Broccoli (~302gm) (blend half, and leave the rest to cook in the pot for texture)
• Cheddar cheese / swiss cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese offers maximal cheddar flavor and a creamy texture. I used swiss cheese because it’s for my baby’s consumption.
  • You can start with four ounces (half of a block) and add more to suit your preferences.
  • Hand-grated cheese is best, since pre-shredded cheeses are coated in powders that can cause the cheese to glop together once melted.
  • Buy white cheddar if you can. Yellow cheddar might turn this soup an unfortunate color, but I haven’t tried to be sure.
• Pinch of pepper and salt to taste.
• Thinly sliced chives or green onions, for garnish (optional)

Preparation Steps

1. Cut the onion and garlic cloves.
2. Peel and chop the potato.
3. Cut the broccoli:
   • Slice off and discard the rough bottom ends of broccoli stalks.
   • Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the tough outer skin on the stalks, then discard those bits. Slice the stalks off and cut them into pieces about 1 to 2-inches big. Set aside.
   • Working with the broccoli tops now, cut as closely to the base of the florets as you can. Slice any remaining stalks into chunks to match to the rest.
   • Chop the reserved florets into small pieces (I chop them all in one direction, then turn the cutting board and chop again).

Cooking

Prepare the Puree

1. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Stir to combine, until the onions have softened and are just starting to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the chunks of broccoli stalk and potato to the pot and stir.
5. Pour in the water/stock and add a pinch of salt.
6. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
7. Simmer until the broccoli stalks and potatoes are tender and easily break apart when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes.
8. Once the potato and stalks are tender, add half of the florets to pot, stir, cover, and cook until they’re bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Remove the pot from the heat. Blend until completely smooth, then pour the purée back to the pot.

(Continue cooking)

Continue cooking the puree

1. Return the pot to medium heat and add the remaining florets. Cover the pot and cook until they’re bright green and easily pierced through by a fork, another 4 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the cheese and stir until smooth. If you want a creamier texture, add more cheese. Or add more salt for more overall flavor, and/or more black pepper for kick.
3. Optional: If you want, you can sprinkle cheese, chives and/or green onions over the soup.
4. Stores well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezing works too!

Blended and slurped? Let me know how they taste in the comments below!

Recipe inspired by allrecipes.com, and cookieandkate.com.