Today I am sharing yet another soup recipe with you all—and I honestly couldn’t be more excited.
Since moving to Colorado, I have been overwhelmed with the abundance of fresh, delicious produce at farmers markets. After coming home with two huge heads of broccoli, it seemed appropriate to whip up a new take on one of my favorite broccoli-centered dishes to share with you all.
If you’re a fan of hearty, cheesy, and super cozy soups, packed with nutrient dense ingredients, you’re going to love this recipe!
Let’s make creamy broccoli “cheddar” soup!
Broccoli cheddar soup is soup everyone loves and, I believe, everyone should have a go-to recipe for. Unfortunately most broccoli cheddar soup (despite being know for its healthy green veggie), isn’t very nutritious. Today I am sharing a new—gluten free and vegan—take on this classic recipe. I promise, you will love this broccoli cheddar soup and feel amazing after eating it.
My soup is made thick and creamy with potato and cashews. This cheesiness comes from nutritional yeast, and the marvelous flavor comes from lots of dried dill. Toast up some extra broccoli and bread and you’ve got yourself and effortlessly elegant and flavorful meal.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! It is:
Cozy
Hearty
Nutrient-dense
Traditional
Simple
& so creamy
If you like this recipe you might also like my thai peanut soup with kale, southwest 3-bean chili, spicy tomato bisque and fried chickpeas, or summer corn chowder.
If you try this recipe, be sure to comment, leave a rating, and don’t forget to tag a photo #thelocalsprout on Instagram! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Materials
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil + extra for drizzling
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 large celery stalks chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 1 medium-sized white potato chopped
- 2 large heads broccoli florets and stems chopped—1 cup of florets set aside
- 4 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast*
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp salt + extra for sprinkling
- 1/2 tsp black pepper + extra for sprinkling
- 2 slices bread cubed (I used Simple Kneads sourdough bread)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic, celery, carrots, potato, and broccoli. Sauté mixture for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are golden and slightly soft.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the reserved broccoli florets and bread across lined baking sheet. Drizzle and toss with oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake until broccoli is crisp and dark on the edges and bread is crunchy and golden, about 10 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender, combine 2 cups of the vegetable broth, lemon juice, cashews, nutritional yeast, dill, salt, pepper, and sautéed veggies. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour entire contents back into the large pot, along with the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth. Simmer until hot.
- Serve hot topped with roasted broccoli and bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Leftovers will keep in airtight container refrigerated for 5 days or in freezer for up to a month.
Notes
Nutrition information is for 1/4 of the recipe