Cheesy Cream of Broccoli with Smoky Roasted Chickpeas
One of my first and most memorable kitchen disasters—and I mean a truly failed recipe, not just something that needed tweaking—was a vegan broccoli soup that I totally overwhelmed with lemon. I’ve since learned to be judicious in adding acid to my soups, and I love the balance of flavors here. The soup is equal parts garlicky, savory, and cheesy, with a hint of lemon. To add some texture, I top it with sweet and smoky roasted chickpeas. The chickpeas are great in salads or served over savory oats, so you may want to make a double batch!
One of my first and most memorable kitchen disasters—and I mean a truly failed recipe, not just something that needed tweaking—was a vegan broccoli soup that I totally overwhelmed with lemon. I’ve since learned to be judicious in adding acid to my soups, and I love the balance of flavors here. The soup is equal parts garlicky, savory, and cheesy, with a hint of lemon. To add some texture, I top it with sweet and smoky roasted chickpeas. The chickpeas are great in salads or served over savory oats, so you may want to make a double batch!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 leaf
- 1 1/2 cups (250 g) cooked chickpeas, or 1 (15-oz, or 425-g)
- 2 teaspoons neutral vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- 1 white or yellow onion chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) broccoli coarsely chopped
- 2 large or 3 small yukon gold potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 5 cups (1.2 l) low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1/4 cup (20 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Carbohydrate 4.11911395744517 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 6.08801582362716 g
- Fiber 1.02240417801415 g
- Protein 0.819918958261573 g
- Saturated Fat 0.427949457693394 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (207g)
- Sodium 19.3304166665336 mg
- Sugar 3.09670977943102 g
- Trans Fat 0.293765416234637 g
- Calories 71 calories
Step-by-step
- To roast the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the oil until evenly coated. Sprinkle with the paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and toss again. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until crispy, stirring a few times as they bake.
- Meanwhile, make the soup. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the broccoli, potatoes, salt, oregano, bay leaf, and paprika, then pour in the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Remove the bay leaf.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or puree it in batches in a standard blender and return it to the pot. Stir in the lemon juice, nondairy milk, and nutritional yeast. If the soup is thicker than you’d like, stir in more broth as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Season with black pepper to taste, and adjust lemon and salt as needed.
- Serve, topped with the chickpeas.
Starchy vegetables like Yukon Gold potatoes dictate the structural integrity of blended vegetable soups upon thawing. High amylose starches undergo retrogradation when frozen, meaning molecules recrystallize and force water out of the gel matrix, which results in a grainy texture upon reheating. Potatoes contain moderate amylose levels, making this soup manageable for freezing if stored for under three months, provided it is reheated gently over medium-low heat rather than boiled, which breaks down remaining emulsions. Nutritional yeast and nondairy milk contribute proteins and fats that help stabilize the emulsion, resisting separation when exposed to thermal stress.
Achieving crispness in chickpeas requires driving off surface moisture completely before the starches inside can set. Tossing the legumes in neutral oil coats them in a hydrophobic barrier that conducts oven heat uniformly at 400°F. Stirring the baking sheet every ten minutes redistributes thermal contact points, preventing uneven scorching on the parchment paper. If the chickpeas soften after cooling, dehydrate them in a 350°F oven for five minutes to restore crunch.
Adding lemon juice too early in the simmering process degrades volatile citrus compounds and dulls brightness. Acidity belongs at the very end of cooking, as organic acids weaken pectin bonds in vegetables if introduced during the initial boil, which can prematurely soften cell walls before the potatoes reach fork-tender status.
