Lemon Broccoli Soup with Croutons
A vividly green broccoli soup brightened with fresh lemon and topped with crunchy croutons, simmered in a single pot for an easy weeknight dinner.
Fresh lemon squeezed in at the end keeps this broccoli soup from tasting flat, cutting through the richness of the cream. Blending it while still hot keeps the color a vivid, almost electric green. Homemade croutons fried in butter add crunch that store-bought ones rarely match.
Ingredients
Method
Tap a number to mark a step doneMelt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium heat, add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the broccoli florets and vegetable broth, bring to a simmer, and cook for 12 minutes until the broccoli is very tender.
While the soup simmers, melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the bread cubes, and cook for 5 minutes, tossing often, until golden and crisp.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and vividly green.
Stir in the heavy cream, kosher salt, and most of the lemon juice and zest, tasting and adding more lemon as needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls set in an orange pot for serving, or straight from the pot, and top with the buttery croutons.
Kitchen note
Blend the soup as soon as the broccoli is tender rather than letting it sit, since prolonged heat exposure is what causes green vegetable soups to fade to an olive color.
