Looking at the picture, you might think that this is yet another recipe for cream of broccoli soup, but there’s no cream involved. The creamy base is simply rice, onions, and garlic combined by that unsung hero of the kitchen, the immersion blender. To be fair, you could use a regular blender or food processor and get the same results, but it’s messier and not as much fun!

“Creamy” Broccoli Soup

Bunch of broccoli (You’ll want about 3 C of flowerets, but more or less doesn’t matter)

1/4 C olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 C uncooked rice

Quart of chicken broth

salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

1. Separate the broccoli flowerets into bite sized pieces. Blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Shock them in cold water and set them aside.
2. Heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion. Season with a little salt, a couple of grinds of pepper and a shake of red pepper flakes. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion starts to soften; then add the minced garlic. Cook for a minute more. Be careful to have the heat on medium. Burnt garlic wouldn’t add to the flavor of this soup!
3. Add the rice. Stir the onions, garlic and rice together to coat the rice with the olive oil. Just for a minute or two.
4. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pot. Lower the heat and simmer until the rice is soft. Approximately 15 minutes.
5. At this point, you can use an immersion blender right in the soup pot to blend the rice, onions and garlic into a creamy base. Or you can ladle the broth into a blender or food processor.
6. Add the blanched broccoli flowerets to the broth. Heat on low to let the flavor of the broth seep into the flowerets. Check for seasoning.

I tend to buy broccoli heads, so I don’t have leftover stalks, but if you have stalks, you could peel them and chop them into small pieces to sauté with the onions and garlic. That would add to the broth.

This soup gives look and feel of creamy richness without the fat and calories. Oh, and it tastes great too!