Chunky Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe – No blender needed

Nothing seems to taste better on a chilly day than soup. Living in Minnesota, I crave soup quite a bit. For dinner last night, I decided to make a household favorite: Cream of Broccoli Soup.

Normally I don’t use a recipe for this, I just use what I have in the fridge. Sometimes I add more broccoli and less celery, but no matter what it always tastes great. But here is how I made it last night. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups of organic broccoli
• 1 organic onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of organic celery, chopped
• 4 cups of organic chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons of butter total (2 tbsps and 3tbsps)
• 2 cups of organic milk
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• Celery salt, optional

Directions:

Clean and chop the broccoli. Many recipes state to only use the florets for the soup but I use the entire broccoli, stem and all. To use the stem, peel the tough skin off with a knife or potato peeler and then dice the stem into half-inch thick coins.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the chopped onion and chopped celery and sauté until tender.  Add broccoli to the sautéed celery and onion, mix in the chicken stock and cover until tender.  It will take between 10 and 15 minutes for the broccoli to get tender.

Once the broccoli is tender, most recipes tell you to blend the veggies, however I like to use a potato masher. My family really likes the chunkiness of the soup and a standard potato masher does the trick wonderfully, plus it doesn’t dirty as many dishes! When you have the desired consistency, leave the soup on a low heat and grab a small sauce pan.

In the sauce pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir in 3 tablespoons of flour and create a roux.  Then add the milk. Crank the heat up to medium high and stir constantly (I prefer to use a whisk for this entire task). Leaving the milk unattended will result in burning the milk and/or the milk boiling over. Once the milk is a creamy consistency, add it to the broccoli soup and mix together.

I don’t add salt or pepper to the soup while cooking, but I do put it on the table when it is served so each person can add as much as they like. Occasionally I’ll use celery salt instead of sea salt just because I love the taste.

**If you prefer your soup without chunks, a stick hand blender works wonders and you can blend it up right in the pot.