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Everyday Food

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I heard you like to learn new cooking techniques, so here's one for you: veloute. It's basically a fancy way to say "stock that's been thickened with roux" (a combination of butter and flour). And what does that do? It makes a thick, creamy soup base that doesn't rely on actual cream. (Though sometimes I do like to finish with a just touch of cream for added richness, like in today's recipe.)

Watch how easy it is to make veloute. Once you get the technique down, you can apply it in endless ways. I'll show you how to make cream of broccoli today, but why not try cream of leek or cream of carrot? Or, feeling classic? Make a cream of mushroom soup. Or cream of spinach! What's your favorite?

Sarah Carey, editor of Everyday Food Magazine
  • PREP: 30 minutes
  • TOTAL: 1 hour
  • SERVES 4

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

Get Cooking

  1. In a medium pot, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes.
  2. Add flour and cook, stirring, until combined, 1 minute.
  3. Whisking constantly, add broth and 1 cup water and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.
  4. Add broccoli and bring to a simmer. Cook until broccoli is very tender, 20 minutes.
  5. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. In batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids); return to pot as pureed.
  6. Add cream, if using, and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with broth or water, if desired.

NUTRITION

  • Per serv: 268 cal; 18 g fat; 10 g protein; 20 g carb; 5 g fiber