Inspiration: I make so much homemade stock that I’m constantly up to my shoulders in it. As I’ve mentioned a few times before, we get two beautiful chickens per month from our CSA, and I make about 12 cups of stock with each of those chickens to stash in my freezer. Then, we sometimes pick up a random goose or duck from the farm that we end up making stock with, and every now and then our share includes a nice batch of beef soup bones. With those numbers, if I don’t keep up with making a lot of soups (and I never do, in the summer time), I quickly find myself running out of freezer space. Thank goodness for this fall weather that has me craving soups and stews!
What We Loved: Well, this soup is basically a thick and hearty bowl full of vegetables. That’s a very nice thing indeed. Plus, it tastes great, too. The soup has a very lovely and fresh vegetable flavor (predominantly that of broccoli, of course), and the little browned bits of broccoli on top are a nice touch. I don’t know about you, but I just love that flavor that comes from browning anything in butter. The soup as a whole is very light, making it a great lunch option, first course for a fancy dinner, or main dinner entree when you’re not feeling like a whole lot of food.
Tips: The recipe as written in the cookbook calls for sour cream as a topping. It’s not pictured here, but we did use creme fraiche as a topping at the table. We loved the cool flavor that the creme fraiche added, so we’d recommend using either creme fraiche or sour cream as a topping in addition to the broccoli chips.
Broccoli Leek Soup
Source: Soup from Williams Sonoma Soup Cookbook; Idea for broccoli chips from Flip Cookbook
2 leeks, white and light green portions only, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs broccoli, stems thinly sliced and tops cut into small florets (reserve a few stem slices to saute for a topping)
4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable to keep this vegetarian)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Butter
Sour cream or creme fraiche for topping, if desired
1. Heat some butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, and saute for a few minutes until softened.
2. Add the broccoli, mix together, and saute for a few minutes longer.
3. Add the stock and plenty of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is softened.
4. Puree with an immersion blender or food processor. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Keep warm over low heat.
5. Saute a few of the thin broccoli stem slices in butter until nicely browned.
6. Serve the soup topped with the sauteed broccoli slices and sour cream/creme fraiche, if desired.
threeowlskitchen.com 
My husband just requested that I make broccoli soup, so I stumbled upon this post via Foodgawker at the perfect time =).
If you try this out, Lauren, I hope that you like it!
I only recently discovered the gloriousness of leeks and now i can’t get enough. this sounds wonderful!
I know how you feel with leeks…..I only tried them for the first time about a year ago, too, and ever since I have been hooked! Aren’t they awesome??
This looks great. I have a broccoli cheese soup recipe that is kind of similar to this and it’s amazing. Most broccoli cheese soups are more cheese than broccoli, but mine looks like your leek and broccoli soup!
Would you mind sharing your broccoli cheese soup recipe (especially if it doesn’t have a roux / flour base?) I’ve been looking for a good one for a while and have a few in the queue to try :)
Hey, I originally used this recipe from Daily Garnish http://www.dailygarnish.com/recipes?recipe_id=6000075 although I’ve altered it a bit so I use a mix of nutritional use and sharp cheddar, and I also use a bit of whole milk in mine to make it a tad creamier. It’s fantastic!
Sorry, I meant to say nutritional YEAST, not use!! :)
Thank you!! I will check it out.
This looks amazing!
Thank you!! I love it because it’s nice and light.
Fall weather certainly does get me craving soups. This one looks perfect for this time of year — not too heavy, but still that great soupy taste.
Thanks, Stephanie! We’ve kind of been eating soups like it’s our job :)
JUST made this and it’s so delicious! My only issues is that it only made 3 jars. I’ll double… I mean triple the recipe next time. Thanks for a quick and tasty soup!
So glad that you liked it!! It is pretty quick & easy, isn’t it?
I am so making this today! It’s a beautiful fall day in Portland = perfect soup weather
If you try it out, Kelli, I hope that you enjoy it! It’s pretty fall-like and cozy where I am, too :)
We made this the other night, but substituted kale ribs for the broccoli, and it was still super tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
More on my blog:
http://pamelagoesprimal.com/post/13720643052/kale-leek-soup
Sounds great and glad that you liked it! Can you believe that I’ve never had kale before…..??? Maybe I will try this out with kale next time.