This Best Ever Broccoli Soup is one of those timeless recipes that proves simple ingredients can deliver extraordinary flavour. A combination of fresh broccoli, warming ginger, aromatic spices and a touch of umami-rich anchovy to create a silky, nourishing soup that’s as comforting as it is nutritious.
Broccoli is a variety of cauliflower that has been grown in Europe for nearly 3000 years. It is also known as Italian asparagus and comes from the Italian word brocco, meaning sprout or shoot.
As a clinical nutritionist and chef, I’m passionate about transforming everyday vegetables into deeply satisfying meals. Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family, renowned for its abundance of vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds. Combined with garlic, onion and fresh ginger, this soup becomes a delicious way to enjoy one of nature’s most nutrient-dense vegetables.
What’s the secret ingredient?
The secret ingredient is anchovy. While optional, it melts seamlessly into the soup, adding depth and savouriness without tasting fishy. The result is a beautifully balanced soup with restaurant-quality flavour that’s surprisingly easy to prepare at home.
Perfect for meal prep, this broccoli soup freezes beautifully, making it an ideal healthy lunch or light dinner throughout autumn and winter. Serve it with crusty sourdough or enjoy it on its own for a satisfying bowl of comfort.
How Geelong Grammar taught me about sulphur
Most of us turned our noses up at these vegetables as children. Perhaps it was the unmistakable sulphurous aroma released when they were cooked to within an inch of their lives. Children possess wonderfully sensitive, unfiltered senses of smell, and overcooked broccoli or cabbage stood little chance of winning us over.
During my years at Geelong Grammar School, April Fools’ Day often arrived with its own memorable fragrance. Someone in the Chemistry lab would inevitably produce a generous waft of hydrogen sulphide—that notorious rotten egg gas—which drifted through the quadrangles and, as if by design, found its way into the dining hall.
It was impossible not to associate the smell from the laboratory with the powdered scrambled eggs that appeared on our breakfast plates. Looking back, perhaps it really was part of my education. If learning is about making connections, then I was certainly being educated—just not in quite the way my Chemistry teacher had intended.
Why is this soup good for me?
This winter-warming soup has the goodness of umami-rich anchovy to boost the flavour. The Brassicaceae, or cruciferous vegetable family, as they were formerly known due to their crucifix-like appearance, include mostly pungent vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, turnip, broccoli, cauliflower and collard greens.
The science behind broccoli’s superpower
Broccoli is far more than a humble green vegetable. As a member of the cruciferous family, it’s naturally rich in sulforaphane—a sulphur-containing plant compound that has attracted significant scientific interest for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Research suggests sulforaphane may support the body’s natural detoxification processes, help protect cells from oxidative stress and contribute to overall health.
It is extremely rich in vitamin A, essential for bright eyes, as well as B group vitamins and contains more vitamin C than citrus fruits per 100mcg. It also contains Vitamin B9 (folic acid), potassium, sulphur, and iron.
Interestingly, broccoli doesn’t contain sulforaphane in its active form. Instead, it contains glucoraphanin, which is converted into sulforaphane when the vegetable is chopped, crushed or chewed. This reaction occurs when an enzyme called myrosinase is released from the plant cells.
For maximum nutritional benefit, chop your broccoli and let it rest for around 40 minutes before cooking. This gives myrosinase time to convert more glucoraphanin into sulforaphane before heat begins to reduce the enzyme’s activity. Light steaming for 1–3 minutes is ideal, as prolonged boiling or microwaving can destroy much of the myrosinase. If you do boil or roast your broccoli, adding a pinch of mustard powder or serving it with fresh horseradish or wasabi can help restore myrosinase activity and increase sulforaphane formation.
And don’t forget the stalk. Once peeled, it’s sweet, tender and packed with the same valuable nutrients as the florets, making it perfect for blending into soups like this one.
PrintBest ever broccoli soup
- Total Time35 minutes
- YieldServes 6-8 1x
Ingredients
2 tsp butter
1 brown onion, peeled, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
1 tsp ginger, peeled, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon coriander, ground
Pinch of mustard powder or wasabi
2 large broccoli
2 litre vegetable or chicken stock
2 anchovies *see note
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger until softened and translucent, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the broccoli and stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Transfer to a high-speed blender. Add the anchovy fillets, if using, and blend until completely smooth, about 2–3 minutes.
- Return the soup to the saucepan, gently reheat and season to taste. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Anchovies will help to build the umami flavour which is usually a bit yeasty, salty or ‘funky’ and complements the food categories of taste – bitter, sweet, sour and salty. It is the flavour of glutamate, that savoury, moreish flavour associated monosodium glutamate, the famous and often troublesome taste of Chinese Restaurants.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Plant-based
https://www.chefsamgowing.com /green-goodness-soup/
https://www.chefsamgowing.com /healthy-immune-boosting-soup/
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