Sheet Pan

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

August 12, 2015
4.7
3 Ratings
Photo by Belle Année
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

What makes this soup different than others is the roasting of the broccoli, potatoes, and onion before blending. Roasting concentrates the flavors of the vegetables and creates a nuttiness that compliments the Stilton cheese’s buttery, rich, and peppery aroma and flavor. Despite the extra step, the simplicity remains. Even though the vegetables are oven-roasted, they are all cooked together, and then the roasting pan itself is deglazed on the stove. —Belle Année

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 325 grams new potatoes
  • 450 grams broccoli florets (about 2 heads)
  • 1 medium yellow onions (about 85 grams)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 60 milliliters olive oil
  • 1 liter low sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 4 stalks broccoli rapini, for garnish
  • 100 grams crumbled Stilton blue cheese (plus some for garnish)
  • 1 tablespoon crème fraîche
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).
  2. Where necessary, cut the potatoes into halves or quarters so they are approximately 1-inch cubed. Trim the broccoli so that you have florets about twice the size of the potatoes. Slice the onion into half-moons. Combine them all in a single layer on a sheet pan with high edges and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping once with a spatula about 20 minutes in.
  3. In a small saucepan, bring half of the chicken broth to a boil. Drop the broccoli rapini into the boiling stock for 15 seconds. Remove with tongs and set aside. Turn the heat down to low.
  4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and place over two burners turned to medium-high. Add the other half of the chicken broth to the sheet pan and, using a spatula, scrape up any bits that have stuck to the pan.
  5. Working in batches, transfer the roasted vegetables and the liquid in the sheet pan to a food processor or powerful blender and blend for 60 seconds, or until fully puréed. (If your mixture is too thick to process, add in some of the warm chicken broth that has been waiting patiently on the stove. Continue to use that stock through the process to thin out your soup as desired.) Pour into a clean pot and place over low heat on the stove.
  6. Add the crumbled blue cheese to the pot and stir through the soup until it mostly dissolves. Then thoroughly whisk in the tablespoon of crème fraîche.
  7. Serve in generous bowls topped with crumbled Stilton and chopped broccoli rapini for garnish, accompanied with warm crusty bread.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Laurie Fieldman
    Laurie Fieldman
  • Ntombi Newbern
    Ntombi Newbern
  • aimi
    aimi
  • Jessica
    Jessica
Jessica Bride is the creator of Belle Année, a food and lifestyle blog dedicated to eating, drinking, living and loving in New Orleans and London.

7 Reviews

Laurie F. May 3, 2020
5 Stars! Thank you for this soup. It is a mainstay for chilly fall days and nights and definitely in winter.
 
aimi May 10, 2017
Is it possible to use sour cream in place of the crème fraîche?
Crème fraîche is impossible to find where I live in Japan..
 
Jessica September 30, 2016
Do you think I could freeze this soup?
 
K N. October 2, 2016
I think you could probably freeze the base of the soup without the creme fraiche and cheese and then add the dairy back in when you reheat it. I think it might have a weird texture if it's frozen with the dairy in it and then reheated.
 
Ntombi N. December 23, 2015
My husband is a soup fanatic. I am going to try a vegan version of this...with winter settling in nicely with the holiday spirit, this soup sounds exactly what the husband ordered.
 
fmacmac September 18, 2015
Hi - I know there are many conversion apps out there, but for ease of use, it would be great if you would also provide measurements in ozs, cups, tablespoons for a US based audience. Thanks.
 
K N. October 2, 2016
I just made this as 325 g was about 11.5 oz, 425 g was about 15 oz, and 85 g was about 3 oz, and 100 g was about 3.5 oz. I did a rough measure of olive oil in ml and it appeared to be in the ballpark of 3 tablespoons (which pretty much matched what I expected).