This beautiful green soup features broccoli two ways—pureed for body and in chunks for texture. The cheese in this rendition of broccoli-cheese soup is a whisper of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The real creaminess comes from yogurt.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　Nonstick cooking spray

　　2 1/2 cups broccoli, roughly chopped

　　1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped fine

　　2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

　　Salt

　　1 1/2 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra if needed

　　1 cup 2% milk

　　1 tablespoon cornstarch

　　2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

　　1/2 cup Greek yogurt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Heat a Dutch oven over high heat. When the pot is hot, spray it with cooking spray. Add the broccoli, onion, and garlic. Cover, and sauté the vegetables until they are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook uncovered until the liquid has reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk the milk and cornstarch together in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.

　　

Step 3

Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the broccoli mixture. Bring the soup to a boil and cook, stirring often, until it has thickened, about 2 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Pour half the contents of the pot into a blender, and puree until smooth. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot. Adjust the consistency with a little more chicken broth, if necessary.

　　

Step 5

Remove the pot from the heat. Stir the cheese and yogurt into the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

　　

nutrition information

Step 6

Fat: 34g (before), 5.1g (after)

　　

Step 7

Calories: 570 (before), 114 (after)

　　

Step 8

Protein: 6g

　　

Step 9

Carbohydrates: 12g

　　

Step 10

Cholesterol: 16mg

　　

Step 11

Fiber: 2g

　　

Step 12

Sodium: 460mg

　　Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.