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Broccoli must be in season somewhere in the world, because there is an abundance of it in our grocery stores! It’s also still sort of wintery here… Minnesota springs are, well… muddy, chilly, rainy, & sometimes snowy.

It’s still perfect soup weather.

Cream of broccoli soup is an inexpensive meal, it’s super simple to make, it’s chalk full of broccoli nutrition, and it’s DELICIOUS.

This is not your average broccoli soup. Instead of merely boiling the broccoli to cook it, here, the florets are roasted, giving it so much additional flavor.

Although I’m going to include an actual recipe with measured amounts of ingredients, I want to say that this soup recipe is really, really forgiving.

I don’t follow a written recipe for this soup, probably 100% of the time. For example, sometimes I have lots of broccoli and only 1 potato, creating a lighter and richer broccoli soup.  Other times, I only have one little bunch of broccoli and a big bag of potatoes, AND I need to feed a whole mess of people, so I use tons of potatoes and the broccoli I have on hand.

And on the tragic occasions that we don’t have bacon in the house (which isn’t very often!), I’ll use butter or olive oil as my fat source when sautéing the onions and garlic.

The point is – cooking this soup is more of an art rather than a science.  Use these measurements as a guideline and don’t get too stressed about the soup 🙂

Cream of Broccoli & Potato Soup Recipe

Start by preheating your oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set this aside – it’s for the broccoli.

Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces and throw it in a big pot on medium heat, separating all the pieces.

Meanwhile, wash the broccoli and cut it up. Don’t throw the stems away – peel them and cut them up.

Put the broccoli in a large bowl, give it a liberal drizzle of olive oil, then toss, coating all of the florets in the oil.

Spread the broccoli onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, generously season it with salt & pepper, and roast it in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.

While the broccoli is roasting and the bacon is sizzling, dice up the onion and mince the garlic.  Set them aside.

Back to the bacon.  Cook and stir the bacon bits until they’re crisp.  The ‘doneness’ of bacon is really a personal preference. 

When the bacon is cooked to your liking, remove it from the pot to a paper towel lined plate, using a large slotted spoon.

If you live in a house of bacon thieves, you should cover it up to reduce the occurrence of thievery! Out of sight, out of mind, right?!

Turn the heat to low.

Next, spoon out most, but not all, of the bacon drippings from the pot. We will use bacon fat to sauté our onions and garlic. Leave about 2 Tbsp of the fat in the pot.

Throw your onions and garlic into the pot, and cook them on medium-low heat until they’ve softened up and the onions are translucent.

While your onions and garlic are cooking, peel and dice your potatoes.

Add the potatoes to the pot, then pour in the chicken broth. Season with some salt (depending on your broth’s saltiness), and boil.  Reduce heat, and gently cook until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the broccoli from the oven once it’s toasty and golden and the edges are caramelized. It should be very tender.

Add it to the soup pot.

Roughly purée the soup with an immersion or regular blender, leaving some small chunks for texture. Or, you can blend it smooth depending on how your family likes it.

Next, pour in the cream and season with salt & pepper to taste.

And that’s it! Serve topped with the bacon bits, a dollop of sour cream, and grated cheddar. Oh, and biscuits or crusty bread are a must as well.

This broccoli & potato soup is hardy, creamy, comforting, and so delicious. I’m positive you and your family will love it.