For several weeks, I had been thinking about making a recipe with cheese and broccoli, and every time I mentioned it, my partner would scrunch up his nose. “Cheese and broccoli don’t go together,” he would say. He was firmly opposed to the idea and would always offer different dinner ideas whenever I suggested it.
Flash forward to now, and I’ve converted him into firm believer in cheese and broccoli with this Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup! He especially liked it with some vegan parmesan sprinkled on top.
The best thing about this recipe (besides how cheesy and delicious it is) is how quick and easy it is to make. It can be prepared in under 30 minutes. The other nice thing is that it uses cashews to make it creamy, which means you’re getting some protein in with this soup! The creaminess of this soup and the flavors of the veggies make this a super comforting food – perfect for chilly fall nights.
I decided to use vegan butter in this recipe because it adds a bit of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand you can substitute in an oil like olive oil or vegetable oil. I also recommend chopping your broccoli fairly small, which cuts down a bit on the cooking time. If you like larger pieces of broccoli, you might need to cook a little longer – just be sure to check the texture of your broccoli before finishing.
Like I said before, adding vegan parmesan on top of this soup really steps it up a notch. You can make your own homemade parmesan for this recipe or use a store-bought vegan one. If you’d like to make your own, give my recipe a try. It’s very easy to make as well and takes just 5 minutes pulsing all of the ingredients in a food processor until fine and crumbly:
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 tsp salt
- .25 tsp garlic powder
You can store the parmesan in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks. One note is that it’s very important for your food processor to be fully dry before you add your ingredients, or your parmesan will turn to mush instead of a fine crumble texture.
Lastly, I focused on broccoli and carrots in this soup, but you can pack a veggie punch by adding all sorts of veggies. Try corn, peas, celery, or okra.
I would love the hear how this recipe turns out for you, and what changes you made to it to make it your own. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!
Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw, unsalted
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 2-3 cups chopped broccoli
- 1¾ cups shredded carrot
- ½ tbsp miso paste
- ⅓ cup + 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil the cashews for 15 minutes in water. Once done boiling, blend with ½ cup water until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat.
- Once the butter has completely melted, add the onions and cook for approximately 5 minutes (or until the onions have started becoming translucent).
- Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the nutritional yeast and flour and mix well to combine with the onions and garlic.
- Add the rest of the ingredients starting with the vegetable broth and including the cashew cream you made earlier. Mix well until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the desired thickness has been achieved. Serve hot!
Notes
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