I’ve always been proud of my ability to stretch groceries to minimize waste, but this became even more of a priority throughout the pandemic. This use what you have broccoli soup for two is based off of my original broccoli soup that I posted a while back. If you have all of the ingredients, feel free to go off of that recipe, however I routinely make this soup with leftover groceries, and it always turns out great!
This broccoli soup for two is made from the leftover broccoli stems that a lot of people throw out, which allows you to stretch your dollar even further! It’s also a great recipe for earth day because this recipe uses leftover ingredients that might otherwise be thrown away. Contrary to popular belief, broccoli stems are actually full of flavor and make a delicious and creamy soup.
Note that I used chicken broth for this recipe but you could easily swap out chicken stock for veggie stock to make this soup vegan. I served this with a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper, but you can top with any additional toppings to create more of a hearty meal. Either way, it’s easy, inexpensive, filling, and totally delicious.
Roasted Broccoli Soup Ingredients:
- 2 broccoli stems (this is just the number of stems I had. You can add more stems or florets if you have them on hand)
- ¼ yellow onion, one shallot, or a leek (anything in the onion family will work)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth + more if needed to achieve desired consistency (you can use any broth or stock you have, and can even use water. Note that if you use water, you will need to add more salt)
- 4 garlic cloves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Start by preparing your broccoli stems. Cut off about a quarter inch at the end where the broccoli has gotten dried out, and just go around the outer edges and cut off any dry or rough fibrous pieces. You don’t have to cut much off, but you just want to make sure that you’re left with clean stems of broccoli and you remove any tough pieces of the outer layer. Next slice your broccoli stems into ¼ inch rounds.
Cut your onion into 1 inch pieces. Peel the garlic but leave the cloves whole so they do not burn. Toss the sliced broccoli stems with the onion, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper.
Place the veggie mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or in a large cast iron skillet (this is what I did, and it’s a great way to reduce waste by eliminating the need for parchment paper).
Roast your broccoli stems at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until everything is tender and starts to get brown edges.
Let the veggie mixture cool slightly, then purée the broccoli mixture and broth until smooth. You could do this in a traditional blender (I use my Vitamix) or add everything to a pot and blend with an immersion blender. If you want to thin the soup out, add a bit more broth or water.
Taste and season the roasted broccoli soup with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add toppings of your choice and enjoy! The whole idea is to use what you have to create healthy, delicious, and comforting meals using the produce that you have on hand.
This recipe makes about two dinner size portions of soup, or about 4 small cups of soup.
Enjoy!