My man came home from work with severe flu symptoms yesterday. Aches, chills, sore throat, you know the deal. “No problem,” I thought. “I’ll just go to the freezer and pull out one of the many homemade soups I’ve stashed there for precisely these types of emergencies. I’m so awesome!” But just as I was about to high-five the air, I opened the freezer and realized that we ate the last soup/chili/stew weeks ago and the freezer was bare, except for a few frozen bananas and a bottle of rum. If only daiquiris cured the flu! It was time to look through the kitchen to see what type of soup I could make. Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup was out of the question – there weren’t any fresh tomatoes in sight and there was no time to roast anything anyway. The two measly carrots in the fridge were not enough to make my mom’s awesome Carrot Soup. But I did come across two giant heads of broccoli and a few potatoes. I knew exactly what I would make! 
A bit of background. When we moved to Australia almost 3 years ago, I brought 2 giant bags with me. Bag #1 was filled with clothes. Duh. Bag #2 was for shoes. Hey, there was no way I was leaving all my shoe babies behind! Only two other items also made the journey: 1) my pampered chef garlic press (I will write an ode to that little guy someday) and 2) my 3-ring recipe binder, filled with all the recipes that I had collected over the years. In that binder lay the recipe that would save the day: my grandma’s Broccoli & Potato Soup, which my mom had annotated with her own notes and typed-up for me in French many years ago: 
I’ve made this recipe many times over the years and I’ve modified it further because I found that by the time the potatoes were ready, the broccoli had lost its beautiful green color. Even with a couple extra steps, this is still a super-quick soup that you can have ready in less than 30 minutes… perfect for those days when you’re feeling great, but even better if you or someone you know is feeling under the weather.
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Notes
- If you’re using a stick blender, you may need to tilt your pot a little bit so that there is enough soup to cover the blades. See the photo above to see what I mean.
- This is a pretty thick soup. Feel free to add an extra cup of stock if you prefer a thinner soup.
- This is also beautiful served with a drizzle of roasted red pepper puree.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head of broccoli)
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- ¼ tsp thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
- garnish: chives, vegan sour cream (optional)
- In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until tender, a few minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and potatoes to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce back to medium heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the broccoli and thyme, and cover for 5 minutes, until fully steamed but still bright green.
- Puree the soup in a blender or with a stick blender. Season with salt and pepper and serve with chives and/or vegan sour cream, if desired.
About to high five the air!
Bhah-ha-ha-ha!
Soup looks awesome too!
Heh heh! Thanks!
Your soup looks delicious. (And I was pleasantly surprised that my high school French has held up well enough to understand almost all of the original recipe!)
Once the weather cools off in Toronto, I am so making this. (It’s crazy — it was 24C today.)
Thanks Kimberly! I’ve been reading all about all the great weather back home. That’s so awesome. Fall is my favorite season but it normally seems to only last 2 weeks. Enjoy it – plenty of time to make soup once the frost hits :)
Angela, this looks so delicious! First thing on my list to make when I return from the Juice PLUS+ Leadership Convention in Nashville, TN! This is going to be a staple in my freezer! Pam :)
Hi Pam, Thanks for your comment. Let me know what you think of the soup!
And now I feel rather inadequate about having broccoli simple steamed with nooch sprinkled over every night. Time to put on my big girl panties and make something different and broccoli-delicious!
Oh no need for that! Straight-up broccoli is all-good in my books! But speaking of nooch, I’m sure a little bit of it would be great in this soup. Must remember that next time :)
wow that soup is so green – I have made broccoli soup before and found it is a bit dull looking – the recipe I have also uses a tomato which I find strange but seems to work! Hope your soup helped fight the flu
Thanks Johanna – It’s all about only adding the broccoli for the last 5 minutes or so. Otherwise, it comes out baby-puke-green, as I’ve found many times in the past! Man is feeling better today, must be the soup, hah!
Oh my! This looks amazing. And so easy. I have to try it. Thanks for the recipe. =)
Thanks Vanessa! It’s a pretty basic soup but as I said above, you can jazz it up as you like. But it’s simple and healthy and sometimes that’s exactly what you need :)
And I thought I was the only one who high-fived herself :) Alright, I’ve met my match! That bowl of deliciousness looks so good–is there really anything better than soup??? Didn’t think so either. Tell your love that I will have a daiquiri in honor of him getting better…
Self-high-fivers unite! Ha ha! Homemade soup is the best! The man is feeling better. I think I’ll have a daiquiri too. Thanks for stopping by!
Awesome! :)
Just made it! And even my girlfriend who hates broccoli likes it. Thank you for the recipe! :)
Wow – that’s impressive! Thanks for that feedback :)
Made the soup today. We loved it. Look forward to making it again. Thank you for sharing it.
Hi Veronica – Thanks for the feedback, I’m so glad you liked it!
LOVE this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing (:
So glad to hear it – thanks for taking the time to comment :)
I had to laugh about your Pampered Chef garlic press. My husband and I also own one that we must have bought 20 years ago and have frequently commented how we LOVE it!
Had leftover Tomato soup today that I made from your recipe last night. It was wonderful! Was thinking fennel seeds would also go well with it.. does that sound odd?
It’s the best garlic press… EVER! Hah! Glad to hear I’m not the only one who loves it.
Wow fennel would be interesting. I’d love to try that :)
This looks so amazing! Definitely making it soon. I was just wondering if this is a good recipe to make extra and freeze? :)
Thanks Whitley – And yes, it freezes very well :)
I just made this and it turned out great! I doubled the recipe, pureed half in the blender. Put the other half in the blender and pulsed it to make it chunky. Garnished with green onions, vegan sour cream and fresh chives. YUMMY!! Thanks for sharing this =)
I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for trying it and taking the time to let me know you did!
I’m in a soup making frenzy today. Just made this one and it’s fantastic! On to the carrot soup! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
Glad to hear it!! Thanks for taking the time to comment :)
I made this tonight. It was seriously quick and super yum! I did not have thyme, so I substituted oregano instead. Added (2) diced carrots at the same time as potato. Also, when serving it – I stirred in a handful of reduced fat cheddar cheese into each bowl. It was a hit!
Hello Angela – great name, by the way :) – I’m glad you liked the soup recipe. I will have to try it with vegan cheddar cheese on top next time. Thanks for taking the time to comment :)
Hi! I just tried this, it was so yummy! My family loved it. Thanks for this awesome recipe :)
That’s great, thanks for taking the time to let me know :)