This month I’ve been teaching a broccoli and cauliflower stir-fry in my classes. I am using only the florets since I know the stalks aren’t as popular in my house. It’s all very well and good, except for the fact that I’ve been left at the end of each week with a heck of a lot of broccoli stalks. I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that I am a compulsive use-everything-you’ve-got kind of a cook. I absolutely hate to waste food! In fact, I started a tradition in the house called “Frittata Fridays.” That’s when I pull together bits of leftovers and random vegetables and turn them into breakfast. Everyone’s happy!
So in order to not throw away the perfectly good broccoli stalks, I have been juicing lots of them into our juices. But there’s only so much of that I can take. What else could I use them for? On a whim I decided to see if I could turn the stalks in a pureed soup like my Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup, which is one of my absolute favorites. My biggest concern was that the stalks wouldn’t have enough flavor and the soup would taste like nothing — WRONG! It was delicious. Warm, rich, creamy and using one of my favorite soup-thickening techniques (cooking and pureeing Yukon Gold potatoes with the soup), it tasted like there was lots of cream or butter when there was none.
Nutritionally speaking, the stalks are quite comparable to the florets, which is awesome since broccoli is once of those super foods you should be eating a lot of (and not throwing into the garbage!) In fact, I’m big on the whole cruciferous family of vegetables which includes all the cabbages, kale, bok choy, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collard greens and more. These vegetables contain incredible amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, cancer-fighting compounds, and even protein. Load up, people!
I enjoyed this soup straight away with an extra pinch of flaky sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper. My husband stirred into his bowl a big pinch of shredded raw cheddar cheese and thought that was great. For the girls, I made them grilled raw cheddar cheese and kale pesto sandwiches on spelt bread and they loved dipping those into the soup. Even Mr. Picky finished his entire bowl — plain of course, with absolutely nothing added. This was a winner all around!
Broccoli Stalk Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter or unrefined cold-pressed olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 ¼ - 2 ½ pounds broccoli stalks, ends and any tough woody layers removed
- 1 large Yukon Gold potato, about 8 ounces, peeled if desired and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
- 2-3 teaspoons sea salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter or warm the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, covered, until tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, potato, stock and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower to a simmer. Cook partially covered until potatoes and broccoli stalks are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste for seasoning.
Notes
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Took relshes to a party! Took all the stems of broccoli and caulflower and cooked! Great recipe! will do again. Thank you!
fabulous!
It’s not even finished yet and I just taste tested. It’s delicious! I fully peeled the stalks and chopped them small, so I’m not even sure I really need to do the immersion blender step. I regret throwing away stalks for the last 20yrs and wish I’d found your recipe sooner!! Thank you.
Glad you love it! It feels so good not to waste food.
Can I use a slow cooker for the stalks. Then add broccoli flowettes
Sure! When using a slow cooker for soup, I do like to sauté the veggies (onions and garlic) in a skillet to create more flavor before adding them to the slow cooker, unless your appliance already has a sauté feature built in. If you decide to use broccoli florets, I would add them towards the end so they don’t overcook.
Fantastic recipe! Made as you had it, just added another clove of garlic in and garlic powder for good measure! I was so impressed with the flavor that I seriously couldn’t stop eating it! Tastes just like broccoli cheddar soup without the cheese. I forgot to peel the stems, and even blending in a Vitamix didn’t completely break down the tough fibers, I had to strain to remove the tiny woody pulps. Recommending for everyone making this soup to DEFINITELY do that! Thanks for the recipe, Pamela!
Thank you, Michelle! Glad you loved it.
This was SO much better than it had any right to be. I made a half recipe, halving all the ingredients except the garlic. I used 6 large garlic cloves for the half recipe. Otherwise I made it as written and it was amazing. I was planning on garnishing with parmesan but it didn’t need it. My wife said it tasted like a high-fat cream soup. I will absolutely be making this again.
That’s wonderful! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I love this recipe and have used it many times. I put the stalks in a freezer bag and toss them in the freezer until I have enough for a batch of soup. Sometimes add a carrot to the mix.
Brilliant!
I loved this soup. I used beans per replies above. And then I just threw my leftover Indian food and it was amazing.
Great idea! Glad you gave it a try.