broccoli and sweet potato soup - creamy, AIP elimination-compliant

A food-court memory is a real craving, and broccoli soup from a can with orange cheese dust is probably the one behind whatever you are picturing right now. Nothing here tries to replicate that. This is a plain vegetable soup that tastes like sweet potato and green stems and little else, built to be on the table inside 30 minutes on a night when your energy for cooking is close to zero.

Sweet potato is where most of the color in this soup comes from, and with it the beta-carotene, a building block for vitamin A tied to mucosal health, the gut lining included. Broccoli goes in near the end rather than the start, because sulforaphane, the compound it is studied for, breaks down the longer it sits in hot liquid, and a short simmer keeps more of it intact.

This one freezes well if you want two nights out of one pot, which is worth doing on a week when cooking twice feels like one time too many. Reheat it gently, stir in a swirl of coconut milk if you want it richer, and call that dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 cups bone broth
• 1 broccoli crown, chopped into florets and stems
• Sea salt to taste

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and just beginning to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes. No browning needed here - you want the base to stay light and sweet.

Add the sweet potato chunks and pour in the bone broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the sweet potato is completely tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree the sweet potato and broth base using an immersion blender directly in the pot, or transfer in batches to a standard blender (hold a folded towel over the lid when blending hot liquid). Blend until smooth.

Return the pot to medium heat and add the broccoli florets and stems. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes, until the broccoli is just tender and still bright green. Season with sea salt. Serve warm.

For a thicker soup, use 2 cups of broth instead of 3. For a thinner soup, add broth or water a little at a time until you reach the consistency you like.

Instant Pot variation

Use the Saute function to cook the onion and garlic in coconut oil until softened. Add the sweet potato and broth and lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Open the lid and blend the base smooth with an immersion blender. Switch back to Saute, add the broccoli, and cook with the lid off for 4 to 5 minutes until just tender. Season with salt.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*