Broccoli Pesto Soup
This little recipe came together one night when I was trying to use up what was in my fridge. Most of the time when you're trying to scrounge around for food towards the end of the week, the best dishes come out of that creativity. That's exactly the reason why they're so delicious- you have to be creative.
Is it just me, or do you get overwhelmed when you've just come home with groceries and have to cook something? Maybe it's just me. I end up snacking instead.
Anyway, I love pesto. Always have, always will. It seems to just make everything better. I put pesto on salads, on pizza, on sandwiches, with avocado toast.
My favorite is dipped with roasted broccoli. Which is how this soup came together.
It's so simple and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Cheesy Broccoli Pesto Soup
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1 large red onion
-1 large carrot
- sea salt to taste
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 zucchini, chopped
-1 head of broccoli, chopped
-4 cups of veggie broth
-large handful of spinach
-1/4 cup of homemade pesto
-black pepper to taste
-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
In a large sauce pan, start to melt the coconut oil over medium heat. While the coconut oil heats, add the diced red onion with the carrot and sautee for 5 minutes, or until the onion has become translucent and fragrant.
After 5 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt. This will help the carrot to cook down a bit faster. Then add the minced garlic and continue to sautee for an additional minute.
Add the remaining chopped vegetables to the pot and stir until they are coated in the oil as well. Once they are coated, cover with the 4 cups of veggie broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Leave to cook for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes is up, you may find that the vegetables don't look as cooked as they would traditionally be in a chili or stew, but that's okay! We're blending this up anyway, and it keeps the nutrients more intact. Remove from the heat and add the spinach, pesto, black pepper, and nutritional yeast. Stir until the spinach begins to wilt a little from the heat.
Now we're blending it all up with either an immersion blender or you could blend in batches in a standing blender. Once everything has been pureed, adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.
It's ready to serve! I like it with either avocado on top, for a more filling soup. Or with roasted chickpeas. Get creative!
