This Italian Broccoli Soup is just like my Grandma used to make! No cream in this soup recipe so it’s comfort food that’s good for you, too!
Grandma’s recipes are the best, aren’t they? Not only do they taste amazing but they bring back so many memories of the food and the people that were making the food for you. One of our most popular recipes is our Grandma’s Sunday Meatballs and Sauce, perfect for those big Sunday meals.
No Cream Broccoli Soup Recipe
This Italian Broccoli Soup recipe is made without any cream, so it’s a lot better for you than most broccoli soup recipes with heavy cream and/or cheese. We’re calling this “Italian” broccoli soup only because it’s how my Italian Grandma and aunts used to make it and we absolutely loved it.
There’s no “al dente” broccoli treatment here, either. This broccoli is cooked to death, as my dad always says. Mushy, even, in the best way possible. Top this soup recipe with lots of nutty parmesan cheese, fresh black pepper and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and you’ve got a giant bowl of comfort food.
How To Make Italian Broccoli Soup
This broccoli soup recipe is so simple, but you can add your own twists too! Start by cooking broccoli florets and stems in chicken broth with a few cloves of garlic. Smash the garlic cloves but keep them whole so that you can remove them after the broccoli has cooked.
Again, this is not the time and place for al dente vegetables. We want this broccoli cooked – like super soft and almost mushy. That’s how my grandma made it and that’s how were making it here for this Italian Broccoli Soup.
After the broccoli has been cooked, mash it with a potato masher to break it up into smaller pieces but leave some pieces larger for texture. Don’t break it up so much that it’s like baby food, just enough to make it soup-like.
Add orzo, ditalini, broken spaghetti or whatever small sized pasta you have on hand. Cook the soup for another 15 minutes until the pasta is tender and serve.
Serve this broccoli soup in big bowl with lots of fresh black pepper and good quality grated parmesan cheese on top. Crackers or a loaf of crusty bread for dipping is a must at our house, too!
This broccoli soup recipe is fairly light, not heavy like some broccoli soup that has cream or cheese in it, so this soup can also be served as a side dish to many main courses. My Grandma used to serve this soup with her famous Pot Roast Recipe or alongside a comforting Beef Lasagna.
We ate big in those days.
Other Ways To Make This Soup
This is the basic recipe, but there are many ingredients that you can add to this basic broccoli soup too!
Add in other vegetables like carrots or celery
Cook onion and garlic in olive oil before adding the broccoli for added flavor
Keep it vegetarian by using water instead of chicken broth (bump up the seasonings if using only water)
Use cauliflower rice for a lower carb soup option
Make this same soup recipe with cauliflower instead of broccoli
Add a touch of cream and/or stir in some grated sharp cheddar cheese
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Italian Broccoli Soup
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This comforting Italian Broccoli Soup is just like my Grandma used to make! No cream, just broccoli, garlic and parmesan cheese so it’s actually good for you too!
Scale
Ingredients
1 pound broccoli, cut into stems and florets
4 cups chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth or all water)
2 cups water
3–4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
3/4 cup orzo or ditalini pasta
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Instructions
Add the broccoli to a soup pot or dutch oven. Pour in the broth and water along with the salt, pepper and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
Smash the broccoli with a potato masher, or you can use an immersion blender but don’t blend until smooth. Leave larger and smaller pieces of broccoli for texture.
Stir in the pasta and cook uncovered for 15 minutes until the pasta is tender, stirring often so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add the nutmeg, taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and more fresh black pepper if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information is without parmesan cheese and olive oil garnish.
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.
The temperature you cook Broccoli Cheese Soup at is key to making sure it doesn't end up grainy or curdled. Medium heat is best for dairy-based soups so it doesn't boil and curdle.
Curdling in a cream soup usually occurs when the milk or cream is added at too high of a heat. As you incorporate the milk and broth into the cooked onion and flour mixture, keep the heat at medium and stir continuously with a whisk. Once all is mixed in, then proceed to heat to a boil.
Salads and soups with broccoli are a delight to many diners. Broccoli is one of the richest sources of good carbohydrates which aid digestion maintaining low blood sugar. And because it has the right amount of fibrous roughage it also helps in preventing constipation.
The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
Is Heavy Cream the Same as Heavy Whipping Cream? Yes, heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the exact same thing. The confusion lies in the fact that they're sold by different brands under two different names.
Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.
Sweetness can help balance bitterness, so consider adding ingredients like carrots, onions, or a small amount of sugar or honey. Acidic ingredients like tomatoes or a splash of vinegar can also help balance flavors.
If heated too high, you risk clumping and if too low, not melting properly. With soup, you might be able to fix it with an immersion blender, or you might not. At a temperature of 150 or so, the protein bonds in the cheese break down and as a result, too much fo the moisture escapes too quickly.
Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents that can prevent the cheese from melting into a lusciously creamy soup. To ensure that your broccoli cheddar soup has the best smooth and creamy texture, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.
A cream soup will often have a soup base, prepared with ingredients such as onion, celery, garlic powder, celery salt, butter, bacon drippings, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, milk, light cream, and chicken stock or vegetable stock. Various vegetables or meats are then added to the base.
Broccoli makes some people gassy and bloated. It contains raffinose, a type of sugar that isn't digested in the intestines. Instead, the gut bacteria use fermentation to digest raffinose, and gas and bloating are side effects of this fermentation process.
'Cream of' originally meant not only pureed, but cream added, regardless of other ingredients - most modern shop bought versions will either have cream or a product of dairy origin added, which is why there are often warnings about lactose intolerance on 'cream of' soups.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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