A New School Broccoli Soup

No cheese, no cream, no non-dairy substitutes – this is a soup where you’ll actually taste the broccoli and cauliflower, not try to hide them. It’s an excellent light soup that you can eat a lot of, with plenty of bread.

White beans are blended in to the soup to add a little protein and boost the fibre content, as a nod to a full meal soup. I usually serve this with some lentil patties or boiled eggs along with lots of bread, crackers, or croutons.

I think we’re all familiar with broccoli cheese soup, either from a can or homemade, and I liked it a lot as a kid. My palate has changed so much since childhood, and since I had to cut dairy out of my diet, and now I’m not looking to smother vegetables in cheese in order to enjoy them. If you want to taste the vegetables in your soup, this is for you.

I don’t use affiliate links. Any links you see here are to other recipes or related information, not paid links.

Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

It’s a very simple soup, and relies on good seasoning, a decent broth, and tasty vegetables. Use good-quality ingredients for this recipe as there’s nothing to hide behind. These are my notes from recipe testing. You can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Broccoli: when buying broccoli, look for a stem that still seems fresh at the base, not very dry, white, and cracked. The head should be dark green with no yellowing, and the florets and stem should be firm and not floppy. Purple sprouting broccoli is great if you have it and can be combined with frozen cauliflower.
• Cauliflower: the head should be firm and tightly packed. If there are leaves try to find a head that has green leaves, not yellowed. There should be no yellowing or browning on the top of the cauliflower (if there is, a bit, you can grate it off with a fine grater).
• Beans: we prefer the big white beans because we find that they’re less likely to upset the stomach, but smaller white beans work just as well. Chickpeas are okay but will add a more noticeable texture rather than seamlessly blending in.
• Broth: use a good vegetable broth, homemade if you can manage it, or a good store-bought version. I often use stock cubes for this recipe.
• Oil: use your preferred cooking oil. I don’t recommend coconut oil for this recipe.
• Onion and garlic: any onion will be fine, white, red, or yellow. Shallots are a good substitution. Don’t be tempted to increase the amount of garlic, as too much will swamp the delicate flavours of the soup.
• Herbs and spices: salt and pepper, a little optional hot pepper, and mixed herbs. The recipe calls for marjoram, but oregano is a good substitute, as is a spice blend like Herbes de Provence.

How to Make Cauliflower Broccoli Soup

It will seem like too little liquid, and it won’t fully cover the vegetables. Adding more broth makes the soup thin and bland. Make sure to stir a couple of times while the soup is simmering to submerge any veg that hasn’t been, and keep the lid on tightly to steam the rest.

Step 1: cook the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes on low heat, being careful not to brown too much. Reduce the heat and add a splash of water if needed and stir frequently.

Step 2: roughly chop the cauliflower and broccoli and add to the pot with the seasonings, marjoram, beans, and broth. The vegetables won’t be fully covered in the broth, and if you’re using a very wide pot they might be well above the surface.

Step 3: cook for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-soft. The cooking time will vary slightly depending on the size you’ve cut the vegetables. Overcooking will ruin the flavour and colour of the soup.

Step 4: blend with an immersion blender until very smooth and serve immediately. The soup is very good as is but even better served with bread or buns, croutons, or crackers.

Related: Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup

Expert Tips for the Best Soup

• Season to taste: this goes for any soup you ever make. You should always taste before serving to check that it has enough salt and whether it needs an acidic element added or increased. I recommend seasoning in layers as you cook.
• Don’t burn the onions: keep the heat low and stir frequently to prevent sticking and burning, which will ruin the taste of the soup, making it bitter.
• Choose good broth: a tasty broth does make a difference here. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you use broth or water, depending on how much is going into the soup, but this isn’t one of those recipes.
• Blend away: there are no potatoes in this soup, so there’s very little risk of over-mixing and turning it into glue. Feel free to mix until very smooth.