I wanted soup.  Something bursting with greens.  Something healthy, light and tasty.  I had a head of broccoli and some home made chicken stock in the refrigerator, and after trawling my google reader feeds I came across Heidi’s recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  I used her recipe as inspiration and ended up with this magical green goodness.

I served it with a big dollop of organic yoghurt sprinkled with smoked paprika.  I imagine it would be great with Heidi’s recommended croutons, but we had cheese on toast instead, which was perfect in it’s simplicity.  The next day i reheated some for myself over the stove top, and poached an egg in it as it was warming through.  It was totally delicious, and added some welcome protein.  Enjoy!

10g unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

300g podded broadbeans, blanched and peeled

1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces

1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped

1.25 litres chicken stock or water

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

40g grated cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over a medium heat.

Add the onion and celery and saute for a few minutes until soft, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the broadbeans, broccoli and chicken stock.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is just cooked.

Turn off the heat and add the spinach.  Stir until wilted and combined with the rest of the soup.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Add the chives, cheddar cheese and smoked paprika and stir until the cheese is melted.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4