i can’t remember the last time i had broccoli cheese/cheeze soup, but i had something of a fierce craving come over me tonight. maybe it was because i felt it would be a ‘lazy’ meal to prepare, or maybe the holidays left me craving something green, yet comforting? either way, tonight i crafted an incredibly creamy, savory soup worthy of a second bowl- and i used up some christmas leftovers, too! whoo hoo! i had a container of leftover ‘au gratin’potatoes that i creamed, so you’ll have to tinker with the amount of potato you use. i’m also a big, big fan of broccoli, so i left huge chunks of florets floating amidst the creamy cashew-y goodness, but feel free to puree all the way for a ‘just like mom used to make’ finish. i also keep my seasonings to a minimum because i don’t want to overpower the flavor of the broccoli, but by all means, add some garlic, bell pepper, celery, carrot, ect with the onions; if you’re ambitious and want an extra flavorful, golden base to the soup, add a carrot and some yellow or orange bell pepper with the onions, and then puree that before you add the stock/broccoli in. instant liquid gold!
Creamy Cheezy Broccoli Soup
serves 6-8
2 large crowns broccoli, roughly chopped into 1/2 inch pieces. peel and chop the stems, too
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 c raw cashews, covered in 1 c boiling water or soaked overnight
1 c nutritional yeast
2 c almond milk, plus more if needed
2 c light vegetable stock
about 3 cups of cooked potato- baked, steamed, casseroled ect. maybe skip fried ones, the texture and flavor would be too much.
saute the onion in a few tablespoons of earth balance until soft. add in the broccoli and the vegetable stock. simmer for a few minutes or until the broccoli is just tender, but not mushy. while the broccoli simmers, pop the cashews into the bowl of your food processor and puree until smooth- this could take up to 5 minutes depending on your machine. add the cashews to your broccoli. now pop the potatoes into the bowl of your food processor and puree the hell out of those, too! add them to the broccoli soup. now start adding in as much non-dairy milk as you see fit to thin out the texture. i prefer mine pretty thick, so i only used maybe 2 1/2 c of almond milk. once you dig the texture, add in the nutritional yeast. add a dab or two of yellow mustard if you like your ‘cheeze’ tangy, or a little miso if you like it salty. once you’ve got the flavor down, your broccoli will most likely be hitting the ‘soft but not too soft’ stage. use either an immersion blender, or your food processor to puree as much or as little of the soup as you’d like. add some salt and pepper to taste, and you’re good to go!
*my soup took a digger on the floor so i failed to take a pic of it, but the half that stayed in my bowl was still super good!
