Author: story of a kitchen (minimally adapted from america's test kitchen website/show)
Recipe type: soups
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds broccoli, florets roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
a pinch of cayenne pepper
kosher salt
3–4 cups water
¼ teaspoon baking soda*
2 cups vegetable broth
2 ounces frozen spinach
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (about ¾ cup), plus extra for serving
black pepper
Instructions
Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and baking soda.* Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
Add broth and 2 cups water and increase heat to medium-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook about 1 minute. Transfer half of soup to blender, add cheddar and Parmesan, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer soup to medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Return soup to Dutch oven, place over medium heat and bring to simmer.
Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 cup water (I didn't need to do this). Season to taste with salt and pepper (I added a little more of both).
Serve with crunchy croutons and a sprinkle of cheese.
Notes
* Why baking soda? It helps hasten the softening of the broccoli, more amenable to soup pureeing. if you prefer not to use it, cook the broccoli for about an hour.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/soup-recipes/broccoli-cheese-soup/