Two much maligned and hotly debated vegetables come together, and bring out the best in both. Even detractors of each vegetable individually will be pleased with the resulting combination.
The one thing I hate about making this soup is cleaning the spinach which, unless previously washed, is always incredibly, incredibly sandy. I usually soak the spinach in cold water and then lift it out (as opposed to draining it) and repeat the process until the bowls have no sand left in them.
Broccoli Spinach Soup
Author: Sally Sampson
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 14 cups
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter
- 1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 small head broccoli, woody end discarded, stem peeled and sliced, florets chopped
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
- 7 cups chicken stock
- 2 small bunches leaf spinach or watercress, cleaned and stemmed
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Lemon slices, for garnish
Instructions
- Place a stockpot over medium heat and, when it is hot, add the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots, and cook until tender and lightly colored, about 10 to 15 minutes
- Add the broccoli stems, tomatoes, stock, and half the spinach, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cook until the stems are tender, about 15 minutes
- Add the florets and the remaining spinach and cook until the florets are just tender, about 7 to 10 minutes
- Remove the solids and place in a food processor blender. Process until smooth, gradually adding the cooking liquid. add the lemon juice and serve immediately, garnished with lemon slices.