Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This past Saturday, I ran a 5K. And then I ran a 10K. It seemed like a good idea at the time when I signed up for it. I would do that in place of my long run! Except that I run long runs slowly. I don?t race them. On hills. The day after the Divinity School Gala (imagine prom with an open bar).

I was going to use the 5K as a warm-up, but then I got a little carried away and missed a PR by one second. So that wiped me out. And the hills. I walked more than I would?ve liked to in the 10K. Did I mention the hills? But I placed 2nd in my age group for the 5K, won this nifty travel mug, and got a long-sleeve tech shirt AND a hat for doubling. I also got the satisfaction of feeling totally hardcore. Also, I really need to stop racing the days after I drink more than usual or stay up late.

On Sunday night, I was itching for something to do that was productive but not schoolwork, so I went ahead and whipped up this soup. That meant that Joe and I could go to BodyPump together Monday night and not have to worry about making dinner later. Joe has been a rock star lately. He totally rocked BodyPump even though it was his first class and then he didn?t even bat an eye when I told him the soup had nutritional yeast in it.

This soup is definitely more broccoli than cheese, which I like. It doesn?t taste like cheese sauce with a few perfunctory florets of broccoli stuck in there. The nutritional yeast gives it a creamy texture without a lot of cheese. I did double the amount of cheese to make the texture slightly thicker and added some black pepper.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Yields ~8 1-cup servings
source: The Daily Garnish

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, diced 2 lbs frozen broccoli 4 cups vegetable broth 1/3 cup nutritional yeast 1 tsp salt black pepper, to taste  2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus additional for garnish Greek yogurt (optional, for garnish)

Preparation

In a large Dutch oven, start by sautéing the garlic and onions in a little bit of olive oil, until they start to brown. Once browning, add the frozen broccoli and allow it to defrost and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 4 cups vegetable broth and bring up to a simmer. Add 1/3 cup nutritional yeast. Season with salt and let it simmer (covered) for about ten minutes. Blend the soup with an immersion blender, pulsing until you have a thick soup with just a few chunks. Stir in 2/3 cup cheddar cheese and allow to melt. Ladle soup into bowls, top with a dollop of Greek yogurt (if you like) and a few extra sprinkles of cheese to serve.