Broccoli Leek Soup
Broccoli cheese soup meets potato leek soup in this lightened broccoli leek soup. Packed with vegetables, it's a delicious and nutritious way to warm up on a cold winter day.
The single digit temperatures we’ve been experiencing here in the Midwest has led to a soup making extravaganza at our house. Beyond the warm cozy feeling soup provides, I love using soup as a delivery system if you will, to add more vegetables to my diet. Today’s broccoli leek soup calls for six cups of broccoli florets and two cups of chopped leeks. That is what you call a veggie-forward soup!
This recipe is really just a lightened version of broccoli cheese soup. I ran a quick nutrient analysis of a typical broccoli cheese soup recipe (you know the one with lots of cheddar cheese and heavy cream) and the results were rather eye opening. A one-cup serving supplied 350 calories, a hefty dose of total fat (27 grams) and saturated fat (16 grams), and 1,195 milligrams of sodium. Ouch.
Lightening up a rich, creamy broccoli cheese soup starts with reducing the amount of cheddar cheese added to the recipe. While most recipes called for at least 8 ounces of cheddar cheese, I was able to whittle it down to 3 ounces. If you can, use extra-sharp cheddar. Its rich, intense flavor allows you to use less cheese without sacrificing taste. I highly recommend buying cheese in block form and grating it yourself as it tends to melt more easily into the broccoli soup. Pre-shredded, packaged cheese is usually coated with a starch that hinders the melting process a bit. While we’re still on the topic of cheese, I also added freshly grated parmesan to this recipe. Like extra-sharp cheddar, the intense, sharp taste of parmesan cheese packs a big flavor punch, allowing you to use less without giving up taste.
Another way to lighten a traditional broccoli cheese soup is using a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water) instead of heavy cream as a thickener. Most broccoli cheese soup recipes I saw contained anywhere from a 1/2 cup to 2 cups of half-and-half or heavy cream. Stirring just a 1/2 cup of heavy cream into a pot of homemade broccoli soup adds 400 calories, 40 grams total fat, and 28 grams saturated fat.
When it comes to creating healthier homemade soups, we should also talk about sodium. Soups are notoriously high in sodium and broccoli cheese soup is no different. The sodium cutting measures I took included using reduced-sodium chicken broth (or reduced-sodium vegetable broth if you prefer). I also added less salt to the recipe, using just a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt instead of a teaspoon or more as commonly called for.
So, did these ingredient tweaks make much of a difference nutritionally? A serving of today’s broccoli leek soup has 194 calories, 11 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, and 668 milligrams of sodium. In other words, there was a 45% reduction in calories, a 59% reduction in total fat, a 69% reduction in saturated fat, and a 44% reduction in sodium. Given these incredible reductions, I would answer that question with a resounding yes!
To your health,
Darlene
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A note about leeks. I love using leeks in this soup recipe. This neglected member of the onion family has a very subtle onion flavor. When cooked, leeks develop a sweet, almost buttery taste. They provide nice texture to this soup and a wonderful depth of flavor. Because they’re grown in sandy soil, you want to clean your leeks well. Trim off the root end and remove the dark green tops as they’re fibrous and more difficult to chew. Cut the trimmed leeks into 3- or 4-inch sections and cut those sections in half lengthwise. Fill a container with cold water and add the leek sections, allowing them to soak for several minutes. You’ll notice the leeks will float to the top and the dirt will fall to the bottom. Give the leeks a final rinse, peeking between the layers for any hidden dirt. Once they’re clean, pat them dry with paper towel, and chop. For today’s recipe, two medium-sized leeks will be all that you need to yield 2 cups chopped leeks.
BROCCOLI LEEK SOUP
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1 cup
Prep: 20 minutes
Ready: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
Soup
3 tablespoons spreadable butter and oil blend (such as Challenge Spreadable Butter)
2 cups diced leeks (white and light green parts only)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (32 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
6 cups fresh broccoli florets
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
1 cup (3 ounces) freshly shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Garnish
6 teaspoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
DIRECTIONS
Heat butter and oil blend in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks begin to soften; about 5 minutes. Add broth to pot, increase heat to medium-high, and let mixture come to a simmer. Add broccoli florets, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and allow broccoli to cook until just fork tender; about 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove pot from heat, uncover, and allow mixture to cool slightly. With an immersion blender (or stand blender done in batches), blend soup until desired consistency. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water until smooth and add to pot of blended soup. Heat soup over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to simmer and thicken; about 5 minutes.
Remove soup from heat, add cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese (1/2 cup), and stir until smooth. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine.
To make parmesan crisps for the soup garnish, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a teaspoon measuring spoon, place 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese on parchment paper, repeating 5 more times to yield 6 small mounds of parmesan cheese spaced 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Allow crisps to cool and harden before removing them from baking sheet. To serve, top each 1-cup serving of broccoli leek soup with 1 parmesan crisp and fresh chives.
Making these little parmesan crisps is so easy. Place one teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. The crisps will lift off the parchment once they've cooled and hardened.
Nutrition Information per Serving
194 Calories, 11 g Total fat, 5 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 26 mg Cholesterol, 668 mg Sodium, 14 g Total carbohydrate, 3 g Dietary fiber, 4 g Total sugars, 0 g Added sugars, 9 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 257 mg (20%) Calcium, 2 mg (10%) Iron, 343 mg (8%) Potassium
© 2024 RECIPES MADE HEALTHY BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN, MS, RD LLC
Great question Stacey! I actually tested this recipe with a sweet onion like a vidalia. The taste was good but the consistency was a little too watery for me. If you use on onion, you might want to add more cornstarch slurry. I would start with 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons cold water. Hope this helps 😊.
This looks so good. What If I don’t have leeks in the fridge today? Is there a substitute that could be used? Thank you.