Creamy Spinach and Broccoli Soup

To kick off the new year, Chloe D’Inverno teaches us how to make a wonderfully warming soup, perfect to try for Veganuary!

Image Credits: Chloe D’Inverno

I solemnly swear that I am a soup addict with another recipe to share with you all. It’s plant-based, delicious and packed with goodness. I mean, just look at the colour of it…talk about eating green!

Admittedly, I had never thought of making broccoli soup until I accidentally ordered two big bags of frozen broccoli instead of one. I had to come up with a way to use it up somehow and so I improvised by creating a new soup recipe. Although broccoli is nutritionally good for you, I couldn’t forget to include other legumes for added nourishment such as chickpeas for protein, spinach for iron, and carrots to see in the dark!

Ingredients:

- 600g frozen broccoli

- 100g spinach

- 80g cashew nuts

- 1 medium white onion

- 2 large potatoes

- 2 medium carrots

- 1 can chickpeas

- 2 vegetable stock cubes

- 1 litre water

- 3 teaspoons of thyme

- 3 teaspoons garlic powder

- 3 teaspoons of rosemary

- Salt to taste

Image Credits: Chloe D’Inverno

Method:

Step 1: Start off by dicing your onions, and fry them with oil in a saucepan. Leave the onions to sizzle whilst peeling and chopping the potatoes and carrots into small chunks.

Step 2: Add the chopped vegetables to the pan; add 2 heaped teaspoons of thyme, garlic powder and rosemary. Mix the vegetables so they have a good coating of oil and spices. 

Step 3: Pop the kettle on; once it has boiled, put your broccoli into a separate pan and cover it in boiling water. Leave the broccoli to thaw whilst making 500ml of vegetable stock (with one cube).

Step 4: Pour the stock to the main pan, mixing in the vegetables. Add in the 80g of cashew nuts, turn to a medium heat, and leave to bubble away for ten minutes.

Step 5: Next, pop the chickpeas into the saucepan as well, leaving them to cook for five minutes. Add in another 500ml of stock.

Step 6: In the meantime, drain the broccoli and place them on a chopping board; chop into small pieces and add to the main saucepan. 

Step 7: Next is the spinach! Stir the leaves in with the vegetables.

Step 8: Sprinkle another teaspoon of each spice into the saucepan and stir in. Do a taste test then add salt to your own liking! Leave the soup to boil for a further ten minutes.

Step 9: When the vegetables are all tender, it’s time to blend the soup. Grab your hand blender and blend until fully smooth. Depending on your preferred consistency, you could add a little more hot water when blending. 

Step 10: Enjoy! I highly recommend eating a portion with some lovely warm bread and butter!

Image Credits: Chloe D’Inverno

About the Author: Chloe D’Inverno is a third year English Language and Linguistics student at the University of York. She has a passion for veganism since making the change in 2016, and is now on the path to further help the environment by doing her part in regards to sustainability and finding zero-waste alternatives.