Last year, at this time, we were buried under multiple feet of snow. This year we’ve had flurries that didn’t accumulate but no actual snow fall that amounted to much of anything. Until today. Right now there’s at least 5 inches of snow and the temperature is still dropping. On days like this, when everyone just wants to stay inside all bundled up, it’s a great day for soup! This cream of broccoli soup recipe can be whipped up in a flash. Serve it like it is or top it with shredded cheddar cheese. It’s filling by itself or you can eat it with a grilled chicken sandwich. Make your sandwich low carb by using a low carb bread such as Joseph’s flax, oat bran and whole wheat lavash bread.
The Best Cream of Broccoli Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
8 cups of broccoli florets (I used 2 – 12 oz bags of florets)
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook until tender. Add the broccoli florets and the chicken broth. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
If you have a immersion blender then you can puree the broccoli right in the pot. If not, pour some of the soup into a blender (only fill it about half way), cover with the lid and pulse several times to chop the broccoli florets. Once they are chopped a bit you can puree the soup to your desired consistency. I like to leave small bits of broccoli while others like their soup pureed smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a large bowl and continue to puree batches until it is all done.
Pour the soup back into the pot and add the milk. The soup should be fairly thick in consistency. If you would like it thinner you can add more chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat the soup back up to the desired temperature and serve.
Serves 6+
Calories 126
Fat: 5.6 grams
Total Carbs: 11.3 grams
Fiber: 3.1 grams
Protein: 4.7 grams
The nutritional amounts were calculated using whole milk (which is where many of the carbs come from due to the lactose). If you want to lower the carb count you can replace the milk with heavy cream (1 cup cream and 1 cup water). This will drop the carbs to 8 grams but increase the fat to 9.5 grams and the calories to 137 per serving.
Image:mortonfox
