I…
Hate: diet soda. Like: water. Love: bourbon.
Hate: skinny jeans. Like: Jeggings (jean leggings people… jean leggings). Love: my Levis.
Hate: bathing suit shopping. Like: vintage dress shopping. Love: shopping with someone else’s credit card… which never happens… ever.
Hate: cold soup. Like: most soup. Love: um…. soup soup soup. I really like soup.
‘Hate’ is such a strong word. ‘Hate’ was a bad word in the house I grew up in. Mom, if you’re reading this… yes, you taught me better… but look! I’m eating my broccoli! That’s got to count for something.
This soup is pure and simple. Green vegetables with a touch of spice and a splash of citrus. I dolloped my soup with a bit of sour cream because… seriously? Yum.
psssst… this soup is super filling too!
Broccoli and Arugula Soup
adapted from goop.com
makes enough for two large servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into large florets, about 2/3 pound
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper, or season to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup arugula leaves, packed
squeeze of 1/2 lemon
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and cook for another minute. Add the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green in color. Add the cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the water or chicken stock, lower the heat and cover. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the broccoli has been softened. and is just tender.
Here’s the tricky part. We’re going to blend the soup. Working in batches, transfer some of the soup liquid and broccoli to a blender. Add half of the arugula leaves and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl or another pot while you blend the second batch of soup with the rest of the arugula. Return to a pot over a low flame, check to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Throw in the juice of 1/2 a lemon and serve.
This soup also freezes well!
Maya
I’ve made this a few times now, as I always seem to have a head of broccoli and half a bag of arugula in my fridge somewhere. Its really nice! Bright and Zesty and mind-numbingly simple. Great for a simple lunch as its ready in under 30 mins and uses stuff i have lying around. Thanks Joy!
(I add a couple of tbsps of soy single cream, which i think helps tie it all together)
Rachel
Amazing first sentence, I agree 100% with it. I’m making this soup tonight and I’ve subscribed to your blog. Favorite line for today: Hate: diet soda. Like: water. Love: bourbon. Sharing widely.
Anne
Lovely and fresh soup. I added a red chili and a big potato ….. Made it a bit spicy and the potato gave it a fuller texture …. Really good!!!! Thanks for the recipe! Your blog is on the top of my reading list now – just discovered you today :-)
Penny @ Big Spoon, Little Spoon
This was like a hug. From me to me. I doubled everything, took out the lemon juice, added chicken stock (instead of veggie) and two cups of almond milk. Also some red cayenne pepper and…. nutmeg! Nutmeg totally rocked this soup out!
Elizabeth @ Coppertop Kitchen
I am so all over this. I have everything for it in my house! WHOOP!
Lindy
I just finished making this soup… on an 85 degree day. But oh well, it’s so delicious! The lemon and cumin give it such a yummy flavor!! I have an immersion blender but not a regular one. And my immersion blender broke mid-soup making. So I’m not too happy with the texture, but I’ll get my hands on my mom’s blender!
Lauren
I made this today and oh maaaaaaaan it’s so delicious! I substituted baby spinach instead of rocket because everyone in my family bar me hates rocket. I also made your roasted pumpkin soup today (omg divine). I also made beef stroganoff….well it’s still blipping away in the slow cooker, mm mm mm. I ate some of the brocolli soup for lunch and then froze everything else, lunches and dinners are sorted for this week! Hooray!
Emily
This soup is awesome! I was skeptical, but gave it a shot. Soooo yum, and healthy! Thanks for posting
Michelle
Joy this was DELICIOUS! Super simple and it hit the spot. The cumin makes it perfect.
Stephanie
Yum! This soup looks delish! Can you use an immersion blender rather than blending it in a regular blender in batches?
joythebaker
sure! it’ll just be a little chunkier.
Stephanie
I just made this tonight! It was delicious! The immersion blender worked well. Although my grocery store didn’t have arugula so I used spinach, it was still very yummy (:
Katherine Deumling
I taught this soup in one of my cooking classes (http://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com/)cyesterday, only very slightly adapted but properly credited!, and it was a hit. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. In fact I’m gong to demo it at the Portland Farmers’ Market chef’s demo this Saturday as well. We certainly have broccoli and arugula at the farmers markets here almost year-round.
Liz
What’s the difference between yellow and white onions? Yesterday I bought white to make a soup but instead of improvising I want to make this. Would it be bad to improvise and use white onions instead of yellow? What if I put in cut up lettuce? Because I have lettuce that’s too wilted for salad and I was going to make up a sou for it, using white onions, but now I want to make this. I have two types of garlic powder. Would it be bad to use those two types instead of fresh? Because I think I’d have to buy the fresh kind and I’m a poor college student. Hm. A poor college student that reads recipes, made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last night, and is now pondering a soup recipe.
joythebaker
so. many. questions.
white onions are fine.
lettuce would be weird. really weird.
garlic powder would be weird too… fresh garlic is super cheap.
i was a poor college student once too. i totally understand.
A.
Hurray for poor college students! I shall make this too =D
Michelle
I’m so glad you admitted a hatred of cold soups. I’m trying a few recipes and trying to like them, but the cold texture just throws me and I can’t eat very much. But wait, you like jeggings?!! What?! ;)
Choco
I just adore broccoli ??
I often ask mom to make any dish with broccoli as main ingredient XD
now this recipe sounds delicious & I’m thinking of making it by my self ^__^
thank you Joy,,
Gayle
LOL hate was/ is a bad word in my house growing up and I would allow it in my house now… Hey I am getting old LOL
This soup looks fab, but I think my children will revolt.
Will still have to try and see what happens
Jaclyn
I tried that diet on Goop too! Way to hard, but the soup was one of the best parts. Try the pea and basil combination. It’s just as easy to make as the other soup and has a slightly sweeter flavor.
-Jaclyn @ stayinthelines.blogspot.com
Penelope
Made the soup this morning; delicious! http://prp.tumblr.com/post/502461141
I added a diced potato before the broccoli (love them carbs) and served it with bacon bits on top and grilled pita bread. So so good.
Suzan
How refreshing to find a use for arugula that is not a salad! I love arugula, and equally love yoghurt, so I made this soup and had it with a huge dollop of no-fat yoghurt. Smooooth….
Karen B
I like broccoli, but LOVE arugula. This sounds very intriguing! Might just have to give it a whirl. ;-)
Anne
my boyfriend made this soup for me the other night, after i emailed him the link (hint, hint!), and it was delicious! we didn’t have any arugula (or rocket, as they call it here), so he used regular lettuce instead… but it tasted great anyway!
oh, and he used an immersion blender and it worked out just fine.
Romy
Great soup, Joy! I made it tonight alongside potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream. Something deeply green to balance the oil in the pancakes, you understand. A fabulous dinner!
Mrs. Kinne
I just bought a pair of jean leggings today! :)
Maria
What a healthy and pretty soup!
katie
This sounds super yummy and soup is the best/easiest way I cang et my kids to consume a ton of veggies!
Sweets at Vicky's
I hate skinny jeans too and LOVE soup! We have the foundation for a solid friendship! Oh and the credit card thing too..I know I would LOVE IT if I ever got to do it.:)
Melanie
Looks totally like my sort of soup!
Yum… :)
Em
I have broccoli in my fridge! Just might have to make this.
I got a bottle of chocolate salt for Christmas and I am wondering if you’ve used it ever, or if you have any fabulous ideas or recipes I could use it for. (hint hint)
Ram
I like broccoli and I’d like to try this soup soon. Do you have any idea why some broccoli are bitter? I bought some one time and it was bitter???
Mowielicious
I try my best not to use the word hate, but sometimes it just slips out! That soup looks yum and I just love arugula! Never tried it in a soup though.
Katrina
Joy this looks simply D-lish! Here in Ottawa, Canada it’s freezing. This soup will be the perfect lunch to look forward to after a cold morning.
Mary
Saw this a hour ago, made it & I just finished lapping up every last drop–yum!! The cumin is a great addition. Thanks, Joy!!
nancy Scott
Just found this wonderful website a few weeks ago. The pictures are GREAT! And I love reading your messages. Have told a couple friends who enjoy cooking and baking to log onto you. Yours is the first email I open when it comes! Keep up the good work!
Erika from The Pastry Chef At Home
YAY for goop inspired soups! Hate was also a bad bad word in my casa growing up. My parents would practically punish me for using it (they still raise their eyebrows whenever they hear me say I hate something!)
I love anything with arugula. I make an arugula and toasted walnut pesto that’s just to die for. And now I have to make this pretty soup…because i’ve been eating too many pancakes and cookies lately.
ps: jeggings? really!? But aren’t skinny jeans just like thicker jeggings? :)
Sarah
I made the Goop recipe a while back – I could only eat about one portion. Then I added some cream and grated in some cheddar cheese and I could eat the rest! Using stock and some seasoning is a good idea for that soup.
Pennies on a Platter (Nikki)
I love broccoli, but not a huge fan of arugula. I’ll have to try this anyway, since I don’t “hate” arugula and would put it in more of the “like” category. :)
However, I do “hate” skinny jeans. lol
Jason
First of all, I’m thrilled to know there’s a woman out there who loves bourbon.
I tend to roast broccoli florets in a high-heat oven with some olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. If I did that instead of sauteeing the broccoli, it’d probably give the soup a deeper, more earthy flavor. Do you think it would be overpowering?
Krista
My word, this sounds scrumptious! I’m heading to the market this afternoon so I can make this. :-)
Food Hunter
This sounds delicious. I will be trying it soon.
Megan
I think I need this for dinner. After having pizza multiple days in a row, I need something green!
Casey
Looks delicious!
Silvia
Sounds great, but I don’t know whether I will be able to find arugula: can I use something else instead?
I love soups! And I really hated them when I was a child, so never worry, things do change sometimes.
joythebaker
spinach or watercress would be yummy too!
Shauna from Piece of Cake
A bowl of health! I love it. The color is outstanding.
I can’t get enough arugula salad, but I never thought to look for a soup recipe with it. Excellent!
thedelishdish
ive made this soup before as well and really liked it despite my aversion to arugula! i really dont like it on its own but it adds a great spicy peppery flavor & works perfectly in this soup!
joythebaker
you’re totally right! the little kick of pepper from the arugula is perfect!
LoveFeast Table
Love…arugula!
sandra
I’ve just noticed that you have a “vegan” category. I am vegan and I can’t try most of your recipes but I really enjoy your blog (beautiful pictures, funny talk). Now I will enjoy it even more! Thank you for thinking about the vegans who read you, I am sure I am not the only one. (Should I say thank you to your parents, who are responsible for the hippie part of you who eats vegan food on a friday night?)
Linds
You always introduce me to good websites. I like Goop.
Bethany
Arugula is such a wonderful, spicy green! I would never have thought to put it in a soup, but this sounds just fantastic!
Laurel
Hi Joy, I actually have made this soup before! I thought it was great & really recommend it. I like your addition of cumin. I didn’t even put in olive oil because I was trying to be super-healthy, but I bet it is much better with.
I adore all your baking recipes, but I also love it when you share non-baking recipes too!
:)
Nina T.
Sounds yummy!!! I LOVE arugula!!!
Gelareh @ Orange Truffle
This sounds very yummy! I love the deep green color :)
Marisa
So wholesome! Looking forward to winter so I can try this out.
Sophie @ yumventures
So simple and delicious. I bet the arugula adds a nice spice to it.
Kim
This is a gorgeous soup! Broccoli soups are some of my very favorite soups.
Laughing about the word hate. I was brought up not to say it either and I try to teach my children the same thing, but I find myself still saying it anyway, oh well!
Silvia
You are certainly on a near vegan streak this month! which is great since it is Lent and I need all the vegan cooking tips I can get :)
I’ll make sure to give this a try..
A Bowl Of Mush
Ooh I need to try this, it sounds gorgeous! Yum! :)
Sasa
This looks like just the ticket – I’ve been feeling a bit low on the vegetable intake recently, thank you. Goop is good, isn’t it? Who knew Gwyneth was kinda cool?
Rebecca
Ooh, what a nice way to eat broccoli.
Soup is such a great meal, especially with homemade bread.I love the addition of sour cream too. Has to be done.
Estela @ Weekly Bite
This looks delicious! One of my favorite soups is broccoli & cheese soup! I can only imagine how great the flavor of arugala is!
B&R
Jeggings RULE! A lifelong (or at least as much of my life as skinny jeans have been in style) hater of skinny jeans (they’ve always been too long on me…and tight…and not conducive to wearing post-a good dessert), I have finally found my way. I just bought a pair last week and I’m still walking around making people feel them: “They look like jeans, but they FEEL like leggings…see for yourself!” It’s a strange pursuit that is undoubtedly scaring anyone I encounter, but the invention ceases to amaze me.
Enjoy the heck out of your jeggings and your yummy soup…
Karin
Oh, I love broccoli soup. We eat it here very often, the little ones enjoy it very much too. Nver tried it with aragula though. Sounds like a great idea for just a little more punch. thanks for the idea!
Sade
I’ll try this as soon as my patch of rocket is edible again. Nothing like young fresh rocket picked from your own garden (or pot, in my case).
Also, an immersion blender is the best purchase you can do if you blend a lot of soups. Just stick it in the pot and blend ahead. It saves you the transferring to the blender, and handling hot hot hot liquids at incredible speeds.
themagikarp
This sounds yummy! Instead of transferring to a blender, can I just use an immersion blender inside the pot?
joythebaker
that sounds like a grand plan… maybe just use smaller broccoli florets to begin with.
Wiosanna
I was thinking about broccoli soup. Do you have any idea what can I replace arugula with?
Marla
I just used some mesculin salad mix instead of arugula.
I have to join others in saying that I love this soup. I find myself craving it even.
I do not have a full blender, just a small black & decker handy chopper and put the broccoli in in batches and it works fine.