Vegan Cheezy Broccoli Soup

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It’s soup season! And this is one of my favorite go-to soups. So, imagine my delight in opening my Ooooby veggie box this week and seeing that it included broccoli, carrots AND potatoes! You won’t believe or even care that it’s vegan, it’s just that good and cheezy!

Ingredients
  • 1 tblsp olive or coconut oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • ½ red or orange bell pepper, chopped (or you can used roasted red bell pepper)
  • 1 medium Yukon gold potato, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups (about 1 pound) broccoli – chop crowns separate from stems
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Toss 1 cup of the broccoli crowns with olive oil and place on parchment lined baking sheet. When oven is preheated, roast this reserved broccoli for 15 to 20 minutes until tender and slightly browned.
  2. Heat oil in large pot and add onion. Saute until softened.
  3. Add carrots, bell pepper, potato and broccoli STEMS (only the stems). Sauté for about 5 minutes more.
  4. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add 2 cups of the vegetable broth and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Let cool slightly.
  6. In blender, combine the vegetable/broth mixture with the cashews, nutritional yeast and apple cider vinegar. Blend until creamy and smooth. If you need to, add some of the remaining 2 cups of broth.
  7. To the mixture in the blender, add the remaining raw broccoli crowns (those that were not reserved & roasted), and pulse until blended but still chunky.
  8. Return the contents of the blender to the soup pot and add any remaining broth. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until broccoli is soft, stirring occasionally.
  9. Stir in the roasted broccoli, season with salt and pepper and serve. Top with croutons or serve with a nice crusty bread.

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