Make Ahead

Broccoli, Lemon, and Parmesan Soup

by:
November  7, 2012
4.4
22 Ratings
Broccoli, Lemon, and Parmesan Soup
Photo by Linda Xiao
  • Serves 4 to 6
What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 cups homemade or low sodium chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 lemon
  • Crusty bread for serving
Directions
  1. Bring a large, heavy pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and boil for five minutes. Drain the broccoli well and set aside.
  2. Add the olive oil and garlic to the pot over medium heat. After a minute or two, when the garlic starts to soften and turn golden, add the broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and stir well.
  3. Cover the pot, turn the heat down as low as it will go, and cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is soft enough that it yields when you press it with the back of a wooden spoon (it may brown a little during this process -- this is a good thing).
  4. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes.
  5. Carefully puree half the soup in a blender or food processor, using a kitchen towel to hold the lid on tight. Stir the puree back into the pot. Stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with plenty of crusty bread.
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Popular on Food52

145 Reviews

Jen S.
Jen S. December 25, 2023
Truly my go to broccoli soup recipe since the first time I made it close to ten years ago. Never disappoints and I never make alterations. Light and flavorful, but hearty enough for a meal particularly w some good bread or a small sandwich. Many, many thanks for sharing.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. December 28, 2023
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed this recipe!
 
Maria P.
Maria P. July 12, 2023
This recipe is a must try definetely! I do it often for friends and family and everyone loves it! Thank you for sharing!
 
Traveler
Traveler February 23, 2021
I wrote an earlier review which Indicated I wasn’t too fond of it - too thin. After trying a lot of different soup recipes in the interim, I have adapted a technique I learned from a split pea soup recipe. Put some potatoes in and, when cooked, use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree it. The potato gives the soup body and gives it a creamy texture.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. February 23, 2021
Interesting idea -- thanks for sharing. I actually like that this soup is a mix of textures (thinner with some chunky pieces of broccoli), but I may try it this way as well!
 
Barbara
Barbara February 23, 2021
I cut the broth to two cups, for a thicker soup -- I used Better than Boullion chicken broth -- and I added a scant half cup of grated sharp cheddar. It is very good -- a nice, substantial winter soup, quite tasty.
 
Bob
Bob December 10, 2020
I made it substituting vegetable stock and garlic powder. It still came out really good!
 
Jaclyn B.
Jaclyn B. October 31, 2020
I love this soup! I've been making it for years, and it's always a staple. I freeze it into single servings and have it for lunch with a grilled cheese! I usually make my own vegetable stock made from scraps and am always happy with the flavor.
 
Brandi S.
Brandi S. January 5, 2019
Anyone know if this soup is good frozen?
 
Nicole
Nicole January 9, 2019
It is! I ate it for lunch today after it had been frozen for a couple of months.
 
ftm
ftm December 4, 2018
I wanted to cook this with some unattended time so after the boil, I drained and put the oil, broccoli, and a few whole cloves of garlic in a covered enameled dutch oven in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours. Super intense browning and fond, came out great.

If this soup came out bland for anyone I think they might need to just add either some more salt or more acid. It's fantastic just as written in my opinion.
 
Jordan
Jordan February 6, 2018
Making this for the hubby since he's sick, and hates traditional chicken noodle. I plan to saute some chicken breast in butter and lemon, with the broccoli, add an onion, some carrots, and some fresh cream. Super excited to try this! It sounds so good, and I always need a good excuse to make soup!
 
Burchie
Burchie December 22, 2017
food 52 is always spot on so I've been wanting to make this highly popular soup for years. Finally tried and was surprised it had so many likes. it seemed to be missing something.
 
Traveler
Traveler December 22, 2017
I wrote essentially the same thing a few years ago. After trying some other recipes for asparagus and broccoli soups, for me adding some diced potato and thyme really helped. The potato added some thickness/heartiness The thyme also added a nice flavor.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 15, 2018
Yes, it needs potato, onion, thyme + a tiny pinch of nutmeg. Parsley could be used instead of thyme. Also, this soup does not hold up well overnight . . . it takes on an unpleasant cabbage-y, yesterday's-broccoli smell, which we find quite off-putting. ;o)
 
catalinalacruz
catalinalacruz January 6, 2019
Maybe it's your chicken broth? Some of them can be really blah. Also, the addition of salt can make a big difference, if the broth isn't salty enough. We love this recipe as is.
 
NakedBeet
NakedBeet November 28, 2017
So so good! I made this for Thanksgiving day. I used a lot of the broccoli root, too. Unfortunately, we did not have lemons or garlic on hand so I substituted with my MIL's lemon soaked garlic cloves she uses for dressing. I don't typically use that much oil in my soups, but I think this made the soup. It was so flavorful that it's now going to be on permanent rotation in 2 households. Thanks for sharing this, Merrill!
 
Nick
Nick October 11, 2016
This gave me the foundation to do the following: Follow recipe on Broccoli side, but also make some Soffritto (onion, carrot, celery base) while Broccoli cooked. Before adding broth, added some canned artichokes and the soffritto, then added 1/2 cup of white wine, let it cook off, then added the broth. Added some fresh sage while broth came to boil to add some flavor. Didn't need lemon given the wine and artichokes.
 
louisepa
louisepa November 11, 2015
3 words--blah, blah, blah
 
Casey
Casey October 25, 2015
This soup really is amazing. I added a sweet onion and I thought it added a nice touch. We had it as a side with grilled and herbed whole trout. The meal was heaven.
 
Transcendancing
Transcendancing July 24, 2015
Wow, this soup really impressed us - it's super easy and was a great way to use up a bunch of broccoli stems I had in the fridge. I found a full lemon was perfect, and I also added an onion with the garlic. So flavourful - could taste the broccoli with both the parmesan and lemon, it all layered beautifully.
 
Tracydoc226
Tracydoc226 June 7, 2015
I just made this soup and the "bones" of it are good. I agree 1/2 lemon is more than plenty about 2 tablespoons. The final product of this recipe "as is" lacked a depth of flavor, no sweetness to balance out the tart. So I sweated 2 chopped carrots and 1 small onion, puréed that and mixed it into the soup. And WOW... Perfection. Brought all the flavored together nicely...more balanced and smoother mouth feel. This is a winner.
 
Cheryl
Cheryl May 27, 2015
I thought it was really good and flavorful--and appreciated not having cream. I used 1/2 lemon and that seemed right. Also used peeled and chopped stems. Tried the nutmeg suggestion on the last bits in my bowl, but preferred without. I will make it again and see that this can be welcomed as a summer or winter soup. Thank you!
 
Cheryl
Cheryl November 15, 2018
I'm not sure why I took so long to make this again. Really love it. Instead of water, I boiled the broccoli in the broth and then strained the broth to use in the final 5 minutes of making the soup. I used 1/2 lemon again, but will try less next time and adjust as I go. Used vegan Parmesan.
 
Alisha S.
Alisha S. April 16, 2015
from my recipe put into my fitness pal, its 244 if you say its 4 servings. I use better than bouillon low sodium chicken for the stock
 
karen
karen April 16, 2015
Any information on calories per serving?
 
juliunruly
juliunruly April 16, 2015
I see 182 calories per cup on MFP.
 
Squeemo
Squeemo April 9, 2015
This is so good. Lavandinette, I added nutmeg, at your suggestion, and it's great. I used a hand blender, which is a lifesaver. If I'm feeling lazy, that extra step will be the difference in whether I'll tackle a recipe. Excellent!