Broccoli Spinach Soup with Avocado

Adapted from Whole Living Magazine (March 2012)

This smooth, creamy soups gets its texture from tahini and avocado. Both give it a richness typically associated with cream soups. Could there be a better way to get a vitamin-packed serving (or two) of greens?

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 heads broccoli with stalks, roughly chopped (about 6 – 7 cups)
  • 4 oz. baby spinach
  • 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons Tahini
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/2 ripe avocado, chopped
  • In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks to the pan and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the stock to the pan, then bring to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and stalks, then cover. When broccoli is bright green (about 2 minutes), remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the spinach, cheese, Tahini, salt and pepper. Cover the pan again to allow the spinach to steam. Allow to cool slightly before pureeing (see note).
  • Add the lemon juice and avocado to the broccoli mixture. Puree until smooth. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Quick Tips
  • 1. To rid leeks of all the dirt and sand hidden in its layers, slice it thinly then allow it to sit in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Use your fingers to separate the layers. The sand will fall to the bottom. Using your hands, transfer the leeks to a colander and give them a final rinse before using.
  • 2. Be sure not to let those broccoli stalks go to waste! They provide plenty of nutrients and fiber.
  • 3. This soup is best pureed until silky smooth. It’s hard to get this consistency with my immersion blender, so I use the regular blender. Mine has a large capacity, so I do the entire batch at once. You may need to puree in batches to avoid a mess. Be sure to leave room for steam to escape or you’ll have a bright green explosion with which to contend. My blender has a vent that is removable. I start slowly and gradually increase the speed until the entire contents are flowing smoothly and the mixture is velvety smooth.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4




One response to “Broccoli Spinach Soup with Avocado”

  1. gledhills says:
    February 1, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    yum

    Reply

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