Author Notes
Broccoli-Leek Soup with Basil Pesto. A creamy, comforting soup for drizzly spring days. And it comes together in just 30 minutes! —Olaiya Land | Milly's Kitchen
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Ingredients
- Broccoli-Leek Soup
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1 pound
broccoli
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4 tablespoons
butter (or olive oil)
-
1
large leek, halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch half moons
-
Coarse sea salt, to taste
-
3 to 4 cups
chicken or vegetable stock
-
1/4 cup
basil pesto (high quality store-bought or homemade)
-
1/4 cup
heavy cream
-
1 ounce
(2 tablespoons) cream cheese
-
Good quality olive oil, to garnish
-
Pinch ground chile flakes or cayenne, to garnish
-
4
fried or poached eggs, to serve (optional)
- Basil Pesto
-
2 ounces
(1 packed cup) basil leaves
-
1 ounce
(¼ cup) grated parmesan cheese
-
3 teaspoons
toasted pine nuts
-
3 tablespoons
or more good olive oil
-
1
clove garlic
-
Splash of lemon juice
-
Pinch sea salt
Directions
- Broccoli-Leek Soup
-
Notes:
For most pureed soups, I like a super-smooth texture so I puree them in a blender and sometimes even strain them. For this soup, I prefer a more rustic texture so I opt for my hand blender and don’t process it for very long.
- If you don’t have a hand blender, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender. If you go this route, take care not to fill your blender jar more than ⅔ full, otherwise the steam from the hot soup can blow the lid off your blender. Getting burned by hot soup is no fun--trust me on this one.
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Cut the florets off the broccoli stalks and set aside. Trim any brown spots off the stalks, halve lengthwise if thick and slice ¼-inch thick.
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Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks, broccoli stems and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the broccoli stems are just starting to become tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and 3 cups of the stock. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and the florets are just tender, about 5 minutes more. The goal is to keep the soup bright green and for the broccoli to keep some of its texture, so take care not to overcook it.
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Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the pesto, cream and cream cheese. Puree with a hand blender until there are no large chunks of broccoli or leek. Add a little more stock if you’d like your soup a bit thinner. Taste and adjust seasonings.
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Spoon hot soup into serving bowls and top with a fried or poached egg (if using). Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chile. Serve immediately.
- Basil Pesto
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Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until the pesto reaches desired consistency. Thin with a little olive oil if desired. Taste and adjust salt and lemon to taste.
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