Broccoli Soup

Great way to get your kids to eat their broccoli!

Broccoli Soup

--1 qt chicken broth (or vegetable)

--2 cups milk (soy milk or other substitute)

--2 10 oz bags of frozen broccoli florets

--1/2 diced white onion (we used the green onions from the garden).

--1/2 t black pepper

--1/2 t salt

--1/2 t each thyme, marjoram & dill weed

--1/2 package instant mashed potatoes

--1 Tbs. butter (optional)

--1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional if you can’t eat dairy.)

For a southwest flavor, add a can of chopped green chili’s. 

Directions  

Mince the onion into really small pieces. (Try using a food processor.)

Add the onion to your crockpot, and top with the milk, broth, and spices. Stir in the two frozen bags of broccoli. [Or wash & food process 1/2 lb of fresh broccoli including the tender stems.]

Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. The soup is done when the onion is cooked nicely. To speed things up, just prepare it on your stovetop, in a regular soup pot.

For a creamier consistency, 15 minutes or so before serving, use a hand held stick blender to blend some of the larger broccoli florets. 

Then mix in the cheddar cheese. The cheese will be stringy and will stick to the broccoli florets---that's okay!

Then stir in the instant mashed potatoes, until it’s the consistency of soup that you like. Alternately, just keep adding mashed potatoes to turn it into a side dish instead of a soup.