Broccoli, spinach and stilton soup

In an attempt to improve my culinary repertoire, I’m trying to cook more and experiment with new recipes. My latest effort was broccoli, spinach and stilton soup, which I thought was tasty enough to be worthy of a mention.

Meal planning in advance is not something I’m great at. It’s more a case of what can I cobble together. Today was no different. I had some veg left over from a Sparshotts vegetable box; some Stilton that needed eating, and after a little search of BBC Good Food I had some soup inspiration.

As is the norm for me, I didn’t have enough of the ingredients so I did my own version. The original recipe didn’t involve chilli but I like a little heat so I used chilli oil and sprinkled chilli flakes before serving. And in the absence of a potato I threw in a couple of handfuls of spinach instead.

What you’ll need to make this broccoli, spinach and stilton soup [to serve 2]

– 1 tbsp chilli rapeseed oil
– ½ onion finely chopped
– ½ stick of celery sliced
– ½ leek sliced
– Small knob of butter
– 500ml low salt vegetable stock
– ½ head of broccoli
– 2 or 3 handfuls spinach (or ½ potato diced)
– 50g stilton (more or less depending on preference)
– Chilli flakes and black pepper to taste

If you decide to batch make, don’t forget to freeze flat in bags to save on freezer space – click here to read our previous blog post on this.

How to make this broccoli, spinach and stilton soup:

1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan and then add the onions. Cook on a medium heat until soft. Add a splash of water if the onions start getting stuck to the pan.
2. Add the celery, leek, and a knob of butter. (If using potato add it in here). Stir until butter is melted, then cover with a lid for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the lid. Pour in the stock and add any bits of broccoli stalk. Cook for about 10 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the rest of the broccoli pieces and spinach (if using). Cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Transfer to a blender / use a hand blender to blitz until smooth…be cautious doing this if the soup is hot.
6. Stir in the stilton. Add gradually and taste so you can choose the intensity of flavour you want.
7. Season with black pepper and chilli flakes (if using).

If you’re looking for more foodie inspiration please visit our recipes page >