Packed with good-for-you greens, this warming broccoli and basil soup is the perfect dinner party starter and couldn't be simpler to make. On the table in under an hour, we love to serve it with crusty bread rolls for dunking, but you could top with crunchy homemade croutons, if you prefer.
Looking for more broccoli recipes? We've compiled our favourites in our best ever broccoli recipe gallery.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Cal/Serv:
95
Ingredients
1 large white onion
1 large potato, peeled
3 celery sticks
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 head broccoli, about 375g
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 l vegetable stock
25 g pack fresh basil
Directions
Step 1
Cut the onion in half through the root and peel the brown skin off both halves. Roughly chop the white flesh (to the root). Next, peel and roughly chop the potato, then roughly chop the celery sticks.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a large pan over a low to medium heat. Add the chopped onion, potato and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10min or until the vegetables are beginning to look translucent.
Step 3
Meanwhile cut the broccoli florets off the thicker stem and halve any large florets. Next, chop the stem into small pieces. Add the broccoli florets, chopped stem, garlic and stock to the pan. Bring the mixture to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10min - you need the vegetables to be just cooked through.
Step 4
Add most of the basil and stalks to the soup - saving a few pretty leaves to use as a garnish. Whiz the soup in a blender until really smooth (in batches if necessary) or use a stick blender to whiz it directly in the pan (off the heat). Return soup to the empty pan and check the seasoning.
Step 5
To serve, reheat the soup (if necessary), then ladle into six bowls. Drizzle over some oil, if you like, and garnish with the reserved basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread.
Get ahead
Make the soup to the end of step 4 up to 5hr ahead. Transfer to a large bowl or jug. Allow to cool, then cover and chill. Cover the reserved basil leaves with damp kitchen paper and chill. To serve, return the soup to a pan and reheat it over medium heat until piping hot. Complete recipe.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
