By Kari Hartel, RD, LD
Program Coordinator, Cooking Matters, Operation Food Search
It is a brand new year, and what better way to ring in 2015 in a healthy way than with comforting, steaming hot, hearty bowl of healthy soup. This is a perfect dish to highlight considering January is National Soup Month, and many satisfying seasonal soups utilize hearty winter vegetables. Toss in some whole-grains, lean proteins, and perhaps a couple cubes of cheese and you have yourself a one-pot meal that is both satisfying and thrifty. Enjoy some fruit salad for dessert and you’ve eaten all five food groups in one meal.
Soup is a healthy, affordable, and delicious way to incorporate more vegetables and whole grains into your diet. It is also very easy to prepare and can be a great way to feed a large crowd or use up produce leftover in your fridge.
Below is a delicious, kid-friendly, crowd-pleasing recipe for broccoli soup.
Broccoli Soup
Serves 8, 1/2 cup serving, 90 Calories, 2.5 grams fat, 310 mg sodium, 12 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 6 grams protein
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Matters
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 large potato
- 1 medium carrot
- 2 large broccoli crowns
- 1 medium stalk celery
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ounce low-fat cheddar cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
- Rinse and peel onion, potato, and carrot. Rinse broccoli and celery. Peel garlic.
- Dice onion and celery. Slice potato and carrots into thin slices. Cut broccoli florets away from the stem. Slice stems thinly. Mince garlic.
- Grate cheese.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add celery and onion. Cook until soft and lightly golden brown, about 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and stir. Cook about 30 seconds more.
- Add potato, carrot, broccoli stems, bay leaf, milk, and broth to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are soft, about 15 minutes. Add broccoli florets in the last 10 minutes.
- Remove and discard bay leaf. In a blender, puree about half the soup. Return blended soup to pot.
- Add cheese, salt, and pepper. Simmer to melt the cheese, 2–3 minutes.
Chef’s Notes
- Try cauliflower instead of broccoli.
- Add a dash of ground cayenne pepper or paprika for heat.
- Keep pot uncovered when cooking green veggies like broccoli. This will help keep the color.
- Be careful when blending hot soup. Fill the blender only half full. Blend in batches, if needed. If your blender lid has a removable cap, remove it. Then, cover the lid completely with a kitchen towel. This allows hot steam to escape.
- If you do not have a blender, gently use a potato masher to blend hot soup.
Operation Food Search wishes all our volunteers, donors and friends a safe, happy and healthy New Year! If you would like to learn more about Operation Food Search or see our work in action, the door is always open. There is a plethora of ways for people to engage in our mission to nourish our neighbors in need. To arrange a tour, please call (314) 726-5355 and ask for anyone on the development team.