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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
2 to 3
Author Notes
In this fall-ready riff on a classic creamed soup, Brussel sprouts simmer in a rich heavy cream base then get blended until velvety-smooth. The soup’s richness comes from three different fats—butter, olive oil, and bacon fat—that all work together to complement the nutty, cabbage flavor of the Brussels. To keep things balanced, I’ll add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end for a hit of refreshing acidity. The finishing touch: bacon and shredded Brussels are fried for a crispy topping that brings sweet, salty, and slightly tangy flavors to the dish.
As you prepare the soup, it’s best to blend it with a high-powered blender. Depending on your blender’s strength, the soup may need to blend longer than the given directions. Alternatively, you can also opt to blend the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender (aka a stick blender or hand blender), however the soup will likely have a few chunky bits and won’t be quite as smooth. —Briana Riddock
Ingredients
- For the soup:
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2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1
small yellow onion, diced
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4
garlic cloves, sliced
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1 pound
Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
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2 cups
low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
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2 cups
heavy cream
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1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon
freshly black pepper pepper
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1/2 teaspoon
ground coriander
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1 tablespoon
lemon juice, (about ½ lemon)
- For the crispy bacon topping:
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4
slices thick-cut bacon
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10-15
reserved Brussels sprout halves
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1 tablespoon
apple cider vinegar
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1 teaspoon
granulated sugar
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1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
Directions
- For the soup:
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Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Melt the butter and add olive oil. Gently sauté the onions for 4 minutes, until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until they start to sweat but not brown.
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Reserve 10 to 15 Brussels sprout halves, and put to the side. Add remaining Brussels sprouts to the saucepan and coat in the butter and olive oil mixture. Stir continuously for 5 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are bright green and slightly softened.
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Add the broth, heavy cream, salt, black pepper and coriander to the saucepan and bring to a rolling simmer. Simmer the mixture uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are completely softened and the liquid has slightly reduced and thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
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Carefully pour the Brussels sprouts and liquid, plus the lemon juice, into the base of a blender cup. Cover the blender tightly with a lid and blend for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture blends into a smooth, pale-green soup. With a clean, dry kitchen towel, remove the soup from the blender and divide it evenly into 2 to 3 soup bowls. Add additional salt to taste, as needed. (If the soup has cooled during blending, warm it back up in your saucepan before serving.)
- For the crispy bacon topping:
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Cut the reserved Brussel sprouts into thin slices.
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Line bacon slices at the bottom of a cold, nonstick frying pan. Bring the heat to medium-high and fry bacon for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it reaches desired doneness and crispiness. Remove bacon from the frying pan and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Chop the bacon into pieces with a knife.
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Add the sliced Brussel sprouts to the hot bacon fat leftover in the frying pan. Cook the Brussels sprouts for 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges become crispy. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
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Add the chopped bacon back to the frying pan and combine with the Brussel sprouts. Garnish the Brussel sprouts and bacon mixture over the soup and enjoy immediately.
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