No need for heavy creams or blocks of cheese, this Healthy and delicious Roasted Broccoli Carrot Soup is all about the veggies.
It’s the end of January and we are deep in the trenches of soup season. Seriously, can you even imagine winter without soup?
I can’t. And I’m from California. A state that doesn’t even experience winter or really even need soup. Unless you live in the mountains, and I definitely do not.
Anyway, enough about the winter time. Let me get real with you guys for a quick sec.
So, in a week and a half I will be leaving for New Zealand/Tahiti for the month of February with my family (I am totally not brushing over this fact like it’s no big deal because trust me, this is a huge deal. However, at the risk of confusing you guys, I’m going to keep my travel deets for a separate post).
Well, being the stubborn slash lazy person that I am, I decided not to hire anyone to help me with this blog and all my social stuff while I’m away. Why? because I’m nuts.
So here I am with a just launched brand new blog (that I’m obsessed with) that, just like a brand new baby, needs constant care and attention. (After all, I want to get this site completely organized for you guys!) Regular posts to keep up with (and currently failing at). A month worth of posts and scheduling to get done and ready before I leave. And one sponsored post plus one freelance project that I haven’t even started shooting.
Oh yes, and feeding the family, washing clothes, and making sure I pick my child up from preschool at a semi-reasonable hour.
Not to mention the neverending sickness cycle going around in my house.
Including the husband, which is obviously the worst (aka man cold).
Moral of the story? I am currently swerving through the days with my head semi-detached from my body wondering how much of the above will actually get accomplished. It’s ok, though. I tend to do better under high-stress situations and have always done better when I’m my own boss.
In the end, what will be, will be.
And for everything else, there will be soup.
And this soup?
This soup is all about the vegetables. But, in a good way. Not in a gross, bland, need to mask with loads of cheese or heavy cream kind of way.
Ok, yes. There is some milk in there and I did top with a sprinkle of cheese, but really, the roasted broccoli and sweetness from the carrots is all you really need.
But I am a person who sincerely loves vegetables, so I’ll let you be the judge.
Worse comes to worse, there’s always more cheese 🙂
Healthy Roasted Broccoli Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2 pounds broccoli - florets and stems divided
- salt + pepper
- 1 large yellow onion - diced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 stalks celery - chopped
- 5 large carrots - chopped
- 1 russet potato - diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups water or vegetable stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- cream or half and half - for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the broccoli between the stems and the florets. Roughly chop the florets and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set the stems aside. Transfer the broccoli to the lined baking sheet and roast for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until fully cooked.
- As the broccoli cooks, add approximately 1-2 teaspoons olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for approximately 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for one minute more before adding the chopped broccoli stems, celery, carrots, chopped potato, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Cook the vegetables for approximately 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the vegetable stock/water to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked and tender and broccoli has finished roasting.
- Remove the broccoli from the oven and transfer to the soup pot. Stir well to combine. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully transfer soup to a large blender, working in batches if needed. Process the soup until smooth and desired consistency is reached. Transfer back to the pot over low heat.
- Stir in the milk and simmer just until heated through. Remove from heat.
- Garnish with additionally roasted broccoli florets, shredded cheese, and parmesan crips, if desired.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
If you love this Broccoli Carrot Soup, you may also enjoy these healthy vegetarian soup recipes-
Healthy Curried Kale and Cauliflower Turmeric Soup
Deliciousness! I googled looking for a soup that would incorporate both broccoli and carrots. This one definitely hit the mark. We loved the fact that no cheese was in the recipe. Didn’t need it. We were very generous with the cayenne and next time will tone that down a bit. I didn’t have milk, but I used half and half at 1/2 cup, and added 1/2 cup of water. Give yourself the time you need to dice all the veggies. The roasted broccoli florets was the magic ingredient for sure!
Thanks for the kind feedback Robyn, I am glad your substitutions worked out well 🙂
5 stars
I had my doubts on this recipe, but with an abundance of broccoli and carrots, I decided to give it a try.This is delicious! A definite keeper. The flavor is rich and has depth. I am not sure who liked it more, my husband or me. Thanks sharing this recipe.
Thanks for the kind feedback Connie 🙂
Jessica, this was absolutely delicious! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Hey Jessica. Love the soup! I came across the recipe when I had broccoli and carrots in the fridge, and googled for inspiration. Delicious, roasting the broccoli , to the point of singeing, made all the difference to give a bitterness to match the carrots sweetness.
You seem a bit guilty that he soup is not more creamy, or cheesy!
Don’t worry – it doesn’t need it!
I made it with just onions, garlic, broccoli and carrots. Stock. Some mixed herb.
In order to give it some body I added cooked pasta to the blended soup. No Cream, cheese or croutons.