White Bean and Broccoli Soup
It’s really hard to make off-green soup look appetizing…
Like… I tried super hard, LOL, but I think we just have to accept that there are things in life that taste better than they look. This soup is one of those things. While the color tends to leave a bit to be desired, I assure you that it makes up for it in flavor!
For instance, the pesto from these zoodles tends to look like a similar color as this soup, but both things are tasty. Blending green things with red or orange things (carrots in this soup, beets in the pesto), just produces a slightly garbage green color… what else can I say? Hahaha!
As you guys have seen a bit, I have been experimenting with aquafaba quite a bit lately. The only problem is…aquafaba isn’t a product you can buy or make without the beans that help create it. This means I’ve had to get creative with beans, too! While I have been eating a lot of hummus, it was kinda gloomy this week, so I decided to blend some into a creamy soup.
This soup is silky smooth thanks to the white beans (and a super powerful Vitamix…), but the topping add a little contrasting texture. You don’t have to reserve some of your broccoli for the top, but I think it looks nice! I also topped the soup with red pepper flakes for a little heat, and hemp seeds, because they are my newest obsession, and I love the creamy, yet toothsome texture they have.
Because this soup is so creamy, it makes a great soup to dip things into! I made quesadillas and dipped them, and it was awesome! But garlic bread, paninis, or even crackers would all be delicious, as well.
PrintWhite Bean and Broccoli Soup
Yield: 6ish servings
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp roasted garlic olive oil (or regular)
- 1 and 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- kosher salt
- leaves pulled from a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 oz. can white beans, drained (but save that AQUAFABA!)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 12 oz. broccoli florets, steamed*
- juice of half a small lemon
Directions:
- In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, carrot, and a big pinch of kosher salt, and sauté for about 8 minutes.Add in the thyme, bay leaf, and garlic and sauce for 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Add in the beans and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the broccoli.
- Carefully, ladle the hot soup into a blender and blend until smooth (you may need to do this in batches). Stir in the lemon juice, and taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve with extra broccoli florets, red pepper flakes, and hemp seeds.
*I used frozen broccoli, and cooked it in my microwave.
