Healthier Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

Published by

Jasmine

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I’ve been seeing broccoli and cheddar soup all over my feed lately (it’s cosy season, after all!) and it’s delicious, but I thought I could elevate how nutritious it is whilst still creating something tasty. And this is what I came up with!

INGREDIENTS

Aromatics and flavour:

Shallot (or a small brown onion)

Garlic

Celery

Carrot

Chilli flakes

Vegetable stock cube

Everything else:

Broccoli

Spinach

Cheddar

Cannellini beans (or any other white bean)

Serving suggestions:

A slice of sourdough with a spread of your choice

TIPS & NOTES

I recommend steaming the broccoli in order to preserve its texture and nutrition; boiling is fine if you’re using the water as your soup base (otherwise it leaches out a lot of the nutrition into the boiling water) but I would still find the broccoli a bit mushy for my tastes! I blanch the spinach to preserve the green colour (otherwise your soup will look a bit brown if you go back to the leftovers the next day), but you can skip this step if you’re eating both portions right away. If you don’t have a steaming basket, simply boil the broccoli but don’t overcook it!

We still have cheddar for that cheesy flavour, but I also included white beans for extra protein, fibre and for a creamy texture without going overboard on calories or saturated fat. The combination of protein, fibre and volume (the space taken up by the water and vegetables in your gut) really make this a satiating soup. I pair it with some sourdough bread, and even with a single slice of my mostly-white bread flour recipe; the meal as a whole (with the recipe split into two servings) delivers 31g of protein and 19g of fibre (in around 500 calories, if this is something you’re tracking).

I’m not sure if stilton is uncommon in the US and that’s why cheddar seems more popular online, but in the UK: broccoli and stilton is the classic combo. I personally rarely have stilton on-hand (unless it’s around Christmas) so make it with cheddar more often, but if you have the opportunity: swap that in and it tastes amazing!

Healthier Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A healthier twist on a classic flavour combination

Blender required, no advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 1 shallot (chopped)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
  • 1 carrot (peeled and cut into chunks)
  • 1 stick of celery (cut into chunks)
  • 1 medium head of broccoli (cut into florets, roughly chop the stem)
  • 150g of spinach
  • 1 400g can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 50g of cheddar cheese (grated or cut into chunks)
  • A small handful (c.5g) of chives (finely sliced into rounds)
  • 1 tsp of chilli flakes
  • Olive oil for cooking (optional: an extra drizzle as a garnish)
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Boil the kettle and steam the broccoli for 7-10 mins until they’re vibrant green
    2. and are firm but can be pierced with a fork (leave open to cool once done)
  2. Add the olive oil to a lidded pot over a medium heat – add the garlic and shallot with a little salt and pepper and most of the chilli flakes (reserve some for garnish) and sauté until fragrant for a couple of minutes before adding the celery and carrot to sauté for a further 5-7 mins to make an aromatic base
  3. While the broccoli steams and aromatic base cooks, set up two medium bowls – one with boiling water and one with cold water and ice cubes
  4. Using a pair of tongs swirl the spinach around for a minute or two in the boiling water until wilted (you may need to do this in two batches) before dunking into the ice water to blanch (let this rest for a couple of minutes)
  5. Either add everything (broccoli stems, beans, cheddar, blanched spinach, aromatic base, vegetable stock cube and 400g of water) except the broccoli florets to a blender or add to the cooking pot and use an immersion blender – blend until smooth
  6. Roughly chop the broccoli florets and add to the pot (with everything else, if using a separate blender) – cover, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer
  7. Once everything is cooked through, add up to 150ml of boiling water to adjust the texture, if needed and taste to see if it requires further salt and pepper
  8. Serve topped with the chives, reserved chilli flakes and optional drizzle of olive oil

Let me know if you try this soup!

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