Soufflés, coq au vin, baked Alaska—some dishes are better left to experienced chefs. For some cooks, mustering up a bowl of pasta or a stack of pancakes is as far as their culinary adventures take them. In those kitchens, busy weeknights mean bags of frozen veggies or canned soup. Well, not anymore! This simple but refined recipe takes less than 30 minutes of your time and, after some light sautéing, it gets whipped up in a blender. Anyone can do that! Put down the can opener, step away from the freezer and grab the blender from the cupboard—it’s dinnertime!
Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup with Mint
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
3-½ cups unsalted vegetable broth
1 lb. broccoli, with stems, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves, plus more for serving (can use fresh basil leaves)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Ground black pepper, to taste
Thick coconut milk, for serving (can use heavy cream, plain yogurt or grated aged cheddar)
Directions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. Once heated, lower heat to medium-low and add garlic and onion. Sauté for 10 minutes until lightly browned.
- Add vegetable broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 10-15 minutes, until broccoli is soft. Add mint, lemon, salt and pepper and stir.
- Pour soup into a blender (in batches, if necessary) and blend until smooth. (Or, if you have an immersion blender, blend in pot until smooth.)
- Transfer soup back to pot and warm the soup over medium heat until steaming.
- Serve hot with a swirl of coconut milk and a mint leaf.