This Creamy Broccoli & White Bean Soup is rich and luxurious, yet made without a drop of cream.  Topped with soft ricotta, zesty lemon, fresh dill and crunchy pine nuts this soup is light and healthy, but doesn’t skimp on flavor!

Heeey-yo, friends!  Happy Monday!??

The verdict is still out as to whether Mondays can ever really be ‘happy’.  But, I’m going to keep things positive and just go with it.

So, HAPPY MONDAY!

Okay, not to be cliché or boring, but can we PLEASE talk about the weather?

What the chuck is going on with Mother Nature?!

Seriously, is it cold as a cast iron commode where you are at?

We actually got a SNOW yesterday… and legit, three days prior, it was bathing suit weather.  Well, maybe not MY bathing suit weather, but if you are from the north I’m pretty sure YOU would have got in a bathing suit.

Just to state the obvious, we are exactly ONE WEEK from the official start of spring.

Can someone please alert Mother Earth that she needs to get her dang act together?  I’m talking, birds chirping, flowers blossoming, butterflies fluttering, the warm sun shining… STAT.

Anyways, since the weather is crazy as a bullbat, and I’m not sure if I should be posting hearty soups or colorful salads, we are going to make something that is the best of BOTH worlds.

Hearty, yet healthy.

Cozy, yet light.

Winter, yet Spring… ish.

AAAAAAND, vegetarian for the #MeatlessMonday win.  Holla!

Creamy Broccoli & White Bean Soup with Lemon & Ricotta

AKA a cozy soup that will give you ALL the happy spring feels.

Which also happens to be SEVEN ingredients (10 if you count the toppings) AND 30 minutes or less, from prep to finish!

And, my favorite part of this soup – it’s SUPER creamy, but made WITHOUT a drop of heavy cream.

Hello healthy, heavenly eats!

This soup is a silky, creamy, luscious mix of broccoli and white beans, flavored with dry white wine, onion-y leeks, pungent garlic and tart lemon.  Finished with a generous dollop of cheesy, rich ricotta; a scatter of salty, crunchy pine nuts and a sprinkle of herbaceous, fresh dill, this soup is light and healthy, yet LOADED with feel good flavors.

How to Make it:

First you will heat a splash of oil in a medium pot until shimmering.  Add in your sliced leeks, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook until softened.

Toss in the garlic, let it cook until fragrant, and then pour in the wine, stopping to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (those browned bits equal FLAVOR).

Let the wine cook until it is almost all evaporated and then add in the chopped broccoli, stock and beans.  Bring everything to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook until the broccoli is fork tender.

Stir in the lemon juice and zest, then taste and adjust for seasoning.

Puree the soup using a handheld, or stand blender, and transfer to serving bowls.

Garnish with heaping spoonfuls of ricotta and sprinkle with pine nuts and dill.

BOOM.  Soup’s on!

Recipe Notes:

1. Make sure you rinse your leek THOROUGHLY.  Leeks have a lot of dirt, or grit, trapped in their stalk, so make sure you rinse them well.  I like to cut mine in half, lengthwise and then rinse them gently under cold water.  The dark green tops of leeks are really tough and not suitable for this soup, so you will be discarding them.  However, the dark green tops are great for using in homemade stocks!  (Put the dark green tops in a Ziploc and store them in the freezer)
2. The recipe below calls for white wine, I used a dry chardonnay, but you can use any white wine you would like.
3. If you have an immersion blender, it makes for easier clean-up for this recipe.  However, you can transfer the soup, in batches, to a stand blender and puree.  You will want to return the pureed soup to the pot and place it over medium heat to warm.
4. Toasted pine nuts in this recipe is optional, but if you have the time, toasting pine nuts really brings out their flavor.  To toast pine nuts, simply place them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until golden in color and fragrant.

Cozy enough for the cold-weather, and light enough for spring, this Creamy Broccoli & White Bean Soup is perfect for your table, regardless of the temperature outside.

Until Thursday friends, cheers – to soups that hit the spot.

-xoxo-

Cheyanne 

5 from 10 votes

Print

Creamy Broccoli & White Bean Soup with Lemon & Ricotta

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

This Creamy Broccoli & White Bean Soup is rich and luxurious, yet made without a drop of cream. Topped with soft ricotta, zesty lemon, fresh dill and crunchy pine nuts this soup is light and healthy, but doesn’t skimp on flavor!

Course: Soup, starter

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 170 kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth-Bany

Ingredients

• 2 TBS Olive Oil (or unsalted butter)
• 1 Leek , white and light green parts only – thoroughly rinsed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic – minced
• ¼ Cup White Wine
• 1 large head Broccoli (1 pound) – florets and stems, roughly chopped
• 3 ¼ Cups Vegetable Stock
• 1 (15 ounce) can of Cannellini Beans – rinsed and drained
• 1 Lemon – zest of ½ and juice of the entire lemon (about 2 tablespoon juice and ½ tsp zest)
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Garnishes:
• ½ Cup Ricotta
• 1 TBS Pine Nuts , toasted
• 1 TBS Fresh Dill , roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a medium soup pot until shimmering over medium heat. Add the leek, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until most of the wine is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli, stock and beans and increase heat to bring mixture to a simmer. Immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until broccoli is fork tender. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
3. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or transfer the soup to a blender (in batches) and puree until smooth. If you used a blender to puree the soup, return the soup to the pot, over medium heat and cook until warm.
4. To serve: Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a spoonful of ricotta, pine nuts and fresh dill. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

1. Make sure you rinse your leek THOROUGHLY. Leeks have a lot of dirt, or grit, trapped in their stalk, so make sure you rinse them well. I like to cut mine in half, lengthwise and then rinse them gently under cold water. The dark green tops of leeks are really tough and not suitable for this soup, so you will be discarding them. However, the dark green tops are great for using in homemade stocks! (Put the dark green tops in a Ziploc and store them in the freezer)

2. The recipe calls for white wine, I used a dry chardonnay, but you can use any white wine you would like.

3. If you have an immersion blender, it makes for easier clean-up for this recipe. However, you can transfer the soup, in batches, to a stand blender and puree. You will want to return the pureed soup to the pot and place it over medium heat to warm.

4. Toasted pine nuts in this recipe is optional, but if you have the time, toasting pine nuts really brings out their flavor. To toast pine nuts, simply place them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until golden in color and fragrant.

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Broccoli & White Bean Soup with Lemon & Ricotta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 170 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 15mg 5%

Sodium 795mg 33%

Potassium 97mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 7g 2%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 2g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 18.3%

Vitamin C 4.1%

Calcium 8%

Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

Loaded Southwestern Roasted Cauliflower Bisque

Tuscan White Bean, Bacon & Rosemary Soup

Beer Pimento Cheese Soup