Fresh and creamy bistro-style broccoli and cauliflower with just the right amount of cheesiness.
Complete your lunch with a Goat Cheese Sandwich with Roasted Vegetables!
In my younger years I would dread being offered soup for lunch. This was partly because soups were always on offer, and nothing steals food-joy more than familiarity. But also because soups seems just a little bit boring.
Soup as a concept has been going through a rehabilitation in my kitchen. What has been driving this is recipes like this one, which are fresh and light but jammed with flavour.
Although bringing broccoli and cauliflower into the same soup may seem a bit redundant, in reality they are perfect partners. Cauliflower brings a bit of nutty sweetness, while broccoli has the freshness.
Together they make the soup a bit more complex and interesting. Although this broccoli and cauliflower soup recipe is quite simple – just look at the short ingredient list – you wouldn’t know it by the huge flavour!
Making this soup
This soup must be one of the easiest to make! There are only a few ingredients and not many steps, so you can have a hot and delicious bowl of soup ready for lunch in less than half an hour!
Sauté the leaks, add the broccoli and cauliflower florets with vegetable stock and let it boil away. That’s all pretty basic, but the trick to getting this soup really creamy comes in the next step.
For the best results, you’ll now need an immersion blender or a food processor. My immersion blender gave the best results and was the easiest to use. You can add the grated cheese while blending.
If using a food processor, blend the soup together in two batches and then return it to the stove top over low heat. You can now add the cheese and stir it together over heat until the cheese is completely melted in.
The soup is ready to eat, but I also like to add a drizzle of soy cream. Cream isn’t essential, but does look good!
Recipe tips and tricks
- To make this recipe vegan simply remove the cheddar cheese. A vegan cheese can be used as well, but many varieties won’t melt well enough to work for this soup.
- A drizzle of cream or soy cream can be added after cooking, along with a sprinkling of nigella seeds when serving.
- This soup freezes very well and can be kept frozen for up to a month.
More soup recipes
- Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
- Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
- Cream of Broccoli Soup with Smoked Gouda from Vikalinka
Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup
Fresh and creamy bistro-style broccoli and cauliflower with just the right amount of cheesiness.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leeks, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 500g/18oz cauliflower and broccoli florets
- 1 litre/4 cups vegetable stock
- 150g/5oz extra mature cheddar, grated
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot cook sliced leeks and garlic in olive oil over low heat for 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add broccoli and cauliflower florets and stock and bring to a boil, cook for 15 minutes with the lid on.
- When the broccoli and cauliflower is cooked through, process the soup until smooth in a food processor in two batches or with an immersion blender in the pot together with cheddar cheese. If using a food processor, return the soup to the pot and gently heat it until it simmers, take it off the heat and add the cheddar cheese, stir until melted and blended in.
- Add salt and pepper to taste after the cheese is blended into the soup, the quantity will depend on saltiness of the cheese and stock. Garnish with single cream and nigella seeds if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
To make this recipe vegan, simply remove the cheddar cheese or use a meltable vegan cheese alternative.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 1080mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 12g
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