I hope you guys aren’t sick of me espousing the amazing qualities of white beans because, I’m sorry to say, I’m nowhere near finished yet. In fact, I pretty much cleared the shelves of every grocery store in a two-mile radius of all white bean products in order to make two recipes this week that use white beans in ways that will blow your mind. Ok, maybe that’s a little extreme, but using white beans to fake a creamy base for soup and faux-fredo blows my mind because (a) the creamy factor and (b) the taste factor. Who knew white beans carried such a great flavor? Oh, wait. Everyone knew that but me. 
Let’s talk about this soup. I am forever trying to figure out ways to make creamy soup without cream and/or starchy potatoes. I’ve tried cauliflower. I’ve tried leeks. I’ve used soy milk. And now the white beans. Eureka! It works. I had one little tester tasting spoonful, and I was doing a happy dance. Alasdair, on the other hand, took more convincing because my lovely husband doesn’t love soup as much as I do. I could eat soup all night every night, especially on these frigid, cold, snowy winter nights that seem to be dragging on FOREVER. I am literally watching snow blog sideways and it’s MARCH. Alasdair, on the other hand, refuses to eat soup unless its Tom Kha Gai or Lobster Bisque or just REALLY REALLY GOOD. 
So, when I made Tasting Table’s broccoli soup the other night, I fully expected him to turn his nose up at a soup whose main ingredient is vegetable. Per usual, I asked that he at least try the soup but, as he made himself a plate of crockpot pork, potatoes and other goodies, I suspected he wouldn’t get much further into the soup than the one obligatory bite. I was wrong. He took one spoonful and said, “this is pretty good.” Then he took another spoonful. And then another and another. Before I knew it he had polished off the entire bowl. Then, the next day I had to basically karate chop him away from the leftovers which I planned to slurp down at work for lunch. 
That’s right, World War Food almost broke out in my household over this simple broccoli soup that contains no dairy or grains – just veggies, beans, and stock. I, having made many a broccoli soup in my life, attribute this success solely to the white beans. Oh, and a little bit of credit goes to broccoli stems (much heartier than using just broccoli florets) and the fennel which I decided at the last minute to add to the recipe. Just cuz fennel rocks (and it was taking up too much room in my fridge). So, I feel completely confident in saying whether you like soup or not, you have to try this cannellini-broccoli soup. It’s one of the most perfectly balanced soups I’ve ever made. Not only does it strike just the right balance between creamy and brothy but the flavors – the broccoli, the fennel, the dill, the white beans – are all balanced in that way that just makes you go yum. 🙂 
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cups roughly chopped broccoli florets and stems
- 1 large leek, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (yields approximately 2 cups)
- 1 cup chopped fennel stems (green part)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- In a large pot set over medium heat, add the olive oil, broccoli, leeks, fennel and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the broccoli is tender and the leeks and fennel are soft, about 10 minutes (reduce the heat if the vegetables begin to brown).
- To the pot, add the broth, water, bay leaf, black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth, puréeing the soup in batches if necessary. You can also use a handheld immersion blender which won’t result in quite as creamy a soup but definitely cuts down on time.
- Return the soup to a clean pot set over medium heat. Heat until warm. Taste and add more salt if needed. Divide among 6 bowls and serve sprinkled with the fresh dill.
This soup looks so good, I am making it tonight! Thanks for the recipe and all the great pictures. Since going gluten and dairy free I’ve been looking for healthy ways to get that creamy texture, and soy milk just doesn’t cut it. Good to know your non-vegetable eating husband loves it, I’ve got a picky eater too. Thanks again!
Thanks Heather! I agree, soy milk doesn’t always work when you really want that thick creaminess. I hope your husband likes it!