CREAMY BROCCOLI PARMESAN SOUP

This creamy scratch soup is made with real, recognizable ingredients as opposed to all those unpronounceable chemicals that appear on a can of store-bought soup. I prefer to use ultrafiltration fat-free milk, such as Hood Simply Smart or Fairlife brands, that removes some of the water and is creamier than the more traditional version.

2 cups fat-free milk or 2% low-fat milk (more if needed), warmed 2 cups chicken stock, warmed, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour or chickpea flour

1 ½ pounds of broccoli, cut into florets, with stalks peeled and chopped Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups packed baby spinach

½ cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Combine the milk and chicken stock in a small saucepan or in a large liquid measuring cup and warm over low heat or in the microwave. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. (The mixture will be very dry.) Add the reserved warm milk-stock combination and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the broccoli stalks and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat then decrease the heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the broccoli stems are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the florets and stir to combine. Continue to cook until tender, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to combine and wilt the spinach.

To finish the soup, in the stockpot, using an immersion blender, puree the soup. (It will take a few minutes.) Or, ladle the soup into a blender and let cool slightly so you won’t be splattered with scalding soup. Puree until smooth a little at a time. Leave it coarse and chunky if you prefer a more rustic soup. Add the cheese and cayenne; stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. If needed, rewarm the soup over medium-low heat. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 6.