“I could never give up cheese!” I hear it all the time when I tell people I eat a whole foods plant-based diet, which means no dairy at all. It’s an understandable reaction. Heck, I know I used to react the same way when I met someone who didn’t eat dairy and am sure I meant it just as much as they mean it when they say it to me–which is why I love this recipe! Broccoli and cheese soup is a favorite—the creamier the better. This recipe is so thick, creamy and flavorful that you won’t even miss the dairy. I tried several different recipes and combined the best of all of them to come up with this one, but I hope this is the only one you’ll have to try!
Yummy–this picture doesn’t nearly show the beautiful color of the soup.
One of my friends tried the soup and loved it, but said it was more like a stew, which is why you’ll notice that the ingredients say the cornstarch is optional. I like my broccoli and cheese soup thick, so I put in two tablespoons cornstarch but it would honestly be fine without it, or maybe just one tablespoon. Add cornstarch according to how thick you like your soup!
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 2 - 3 large potatoes, cubed
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 – 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 T. corn starch
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 – 2 T. cornstarch, OPTIONAL depending on how thick you want it (I recommend using organic, non-GMO cornstarch if available)
- Pepper to taste
- 4 – 5 cups chopped broccoli (I use frozen)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- In a large pan, add five of the cups of vegetable broth, potatoes, celery, garlic and onions and bring to simmer covered while completing the next two steps. Allow the pot to simmer about 15 minutes.
- Place the cashews and the remaining two cups of the vegetable broth in the blender. Blend until smooth. (Note: If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may want to consider soaking the cashews in water for a couple hours. I’ve also boiled the cashews for about five minutes, drain them and use as described in the recipe).
- Add nutritional yeast, almond milk, garlic powder, chili powder, mustard powder, corn starch, smoked paprika and salt and blend until combined.
- Pour cashew mixture into the pan with the veggies and bring to a simmer until the soup thickens. This should only take a few minutes.
- Once the soup has thickened, add the broccoli and basil and bring to a simmer until potatoes and broccoli are fork tender.
- If you like a smoother soup, puree anywhere from half to the entire mixture, depending on your preference. I like chunks of potato and broccoli so I only puree part of it, sometimes I skip it altogether and typically just use an immersion blender.
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