Roasted Broccoli Almond Soup
This broccoli almond soup recipe is the next addition to the fall soup season collection. You know – the time of year when the wind blows and the rains come and you try as you might to resist turning on the heat.
While I love a cheesy broccoli and cheddar soup, sometimes I want something healthier. This thick and hearty broccoli soup uses roasted broccoli to up the broccoli flavor and subs toasted almonds in place of the cream you often find in broccoli soups. Honestly, I find that cream to be unnecessary anyway.
Tips and tricks for this recipe
I almost always recommend roasting or toasting nuts in recipes to bring out their flavor. You can use any mid-range oven temperature to toast nuts. Just check on them frequently, and use your nose to take them out when they start to smell, well, nutty.
One of the secrets to big broccoli flavor in this soup is roasting the broccoli. I figure that, if I’m turning on the oven to toast nuts, I might as well use it for the broccoli too. But you can cook the broccoli in the soup pot along with the other vegetables if you don’t want to dirty another pan.
More importantly, never throw away your broccoli stems! They are great to use in broccoli soup. Trim away the woody ends and then cut or peel the outer layer. If you are ever making something that uses only florets, throw the trimmed stems into your freezer and save them for future soup!
Don’t forget to reserve a few of the smaller roasted florets to garnish the soup.
Otherwise this soup recipe is pretty similar to any other vegetable soup recipe. You’ll start by lightly browning some onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and potato. The vegetables are covered in water, cooked for 20 or so minutes, and then it’s all puréed together.
There’s no need to worry about how you chop the vegetables, but it does help to get them roughly about the same size.
FAQs about this roasted broccoli almond soup
Yes, you can substitute store-bought vegetable broth in place of making your own with the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and potato. I like to make my own vegetable broth because it’s so easy and that way you can control the amount of salt.
I would recommend only using blanched almonds to avoid having the skins change the soup’s texture. If all you have is unblanched almonds, here’s how to blanch almonds.
A touch of acid like vinegar or lemon juice is said to “brighten” and balance the flavor of soups.
I’d go with a crusty bread and a glass of white wine like a sauvignon blanc. If you’re not vegan, my kiddo made that buttermilk drop biscuit using this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen Kids, and it was delicious.
Absolutely. Soups without dairy freeze perfectly. Just freeze it prior to garnishing, and reheat it gently in a pot on the stovetop.
Roasted Broccoli Almond Soup
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli, florets cut and stems trimmed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 cup blanched slivered or whole almonds
- 1 Yukon gold potato, scrubbed and chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- ½ large onion or 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 sprigs of parsley
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F while you are chopping the vegetables.
- Add the chopped broccoli, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a rimmed roasting pan. Toss to coat and roast for 20 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. The broccoli should be cooked through and lightly browned in places.2 heads broccoli, florets cut and stems trimmed and chopped, 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- At the same time, toast the almonds in a small pan for 5-10 minutes until they start to smell nutty.1 cup blanched slivered or whole almonds
- While the broccoli and nuts are in the oven, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a large soup pot and turn the heat up to medium.2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- When the oil is hot, add the potato, carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to brown.1 Yukon gold potato, scrubbed and chopped, 1 carrot, peeled and chopped, 1 stalk celery, chopped, 1/2 large onion or 1 medium onion, chopped, 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- Add water to cover and then stir in the remaining one teaspoon of salt and the ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let the vegetables cook for 20 minutes.2 teaspoons salt, divided, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 3 sprigs of parsley
- When the broccoli and almonds are done, reserve a few broccoli florets and almonds for garnish.
- Working in batches, use your blender or food processor to purée the soup, broccoli, and almonds together to a thick consistency.
- Turn the heat back to low, add the cider vinegar, and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Garnish with the reserved broccoli florets and almonds. Serve hot.
Notes
What’s next?
If you make this roasted broccoli almond soup recipe, please leave a comment here or share a pic with me on Instagram!
Check out some other uglyducklingbakery soups like this corn soup with potatoes and bacon or this garbanzo bean soup. And let me know what other soup recipes you would like to see.
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