Mom makes the best broccoli soup. My nephews love it and when they were really little they would ask her to make “brocci ‘oup.”
On our quest to lighten up, I found a similar recipe at Eating Well. It has more veggies and is a little lighter. I changed the original recipe by substituting yogurt instead of sour cream and adding red pepper. I also added a bit a chili powder and coriander and used some shredded Mexican cheese (because that is what I had on hand). I also deleted the potato from the original recipe. You can see the original one at Eating Well—Broccoli-Cheese Chowder.
Sorry that the broccoli was not local, but I pulled some frozen carrots (from our garden) from the freezer.
2 T. olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced (I used frozen carrots and defrosted them and chopped them then added them to the broth later.)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. flour
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. cayenne
1/4 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. chili powder
32 oz. reduced sodium chicken stock
2 c. broccoli crowns, chopped
1 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/8 t. sea salt
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese (I used a chipotle chedder mix.)
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and celery; saute, stirring often, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, cook stirring 2 minutes more. Stir in flour, dry mustard and other spices. Cook stirring another two minutes.
Add broth and broccoli. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in cheese and yogurt. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
This is a really light soup but is packed with fresh flavors. I am glad I played around with the recipe and made these changes.
