Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup

In a big pot on the stove, add the olive oil, heat it up on medium-high heat.

Add the onions, celery, and carrots and let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and add the salt.

Add in the broccoli and potatoes, give it a stir. Pour in the stock and water. Let the soup come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, semi-cover it and let it cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Once the soup is done, take it off the heat and let it cool. You don’t want to add hot soup to a blender, so be sure to cool it off for at least 10-15 minutes. If you don’t want to use a standing blender you can use an immersion blender and blend everything together straight into the pot.

Hot soup (or other hot liquids, for that matter) will steam and expand in a stand blender, which can push the top off and cause a mess and burn hazard. When pureeing hot soup, do it in batches. Fill the blender 1/3 to 1/2 full, remove or loosen the center cap from the lid of the blender. Cover the lid with a folded dishcloth and hold it down when blending. Repeat with the remaining batches.

Once the soup is blended, I like to add tzatziki or yogurt into a piping bag (or ziplock bag with one corner cut) and pipe pea-size dots in a half moon shape. I take a toothpick, skewer, or anything thin and run it through the middle of each dot without lifting it to make beautiful hearts.

Making the hearts for presentation is totally optional so feel free to just dollop it on instead.

You can also add finely chopped fresh dill into the soup as dill compliment broccoli beautifully. Enjoy!