Quick story, promise. One time I was in London eating tapas with my best buddy Owen, and he ordered something served over a green pea purée.
“What does that taste like?”
Owen: “It tastes like grill.”
What does that mean? So I tasted it, and sure enough my immediate response was, “OH, it tastes like GRILL.”
That’s the best explanation I have for the effect of roasting and charring broccolini and fennel before blending them in with this soup. The taste doesn’t come off as puréed green vegetables; rather, you get smoky, caramelized, deep and complex flavors from the Maillard reaction during browning. It’s truly transformative. This is also the reason many people detest the taste of mom’s steamed broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or carrots, but go crazy for their crispy, charred counterparts at high-end restaurants.
My points…
- The roasting & charring step is not for my own amusement; it makes the soup. (And it’s simple and hands-off while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients.)
- The flavor of this soup is WAY more than the sum of its components. Even for those of you looking wearily at a thick green purée, run with me here. This tastes like grill.
The charred superstars
- Roasted fennel bulb – Truly one of the sweetest, most intensely flavorful roasted vegetables out there, and my favorite thing about this soup. The bulb is the bottom part that looks similar to an onion (although it is not just a fancy onion). Cut off the celery-like stalks and the root end; cut out the innermost core; then slice the thick layers into the shape of fat fries. Toss the sliced fennel with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and it takes about 30 minutes at 425ºF to reach juicy, aromatic, crispy-tip perfection.
- Roasted broccolini – The other big star at the scene. Broccolini is closely related to broccoli, but broccolini have long, thin, edible stalks (perfect for roasting) and a milder, slightly sweeter taste than broccoli. Broccolini is ideal for this recipe because while the florets char, the stalks become tender-crisp and add lots of extra body to the soup. If you can’t get broccolini, you can certainly sub broccoli; just make sure to watch it closely so the florets don’t all burn. As for the fennel, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, but it will only need about 20 minutes at 425ºF. (I give the fennel a 10-minute head start then add the broccolini in beside it.)
The soup base
While the fennel and broccolini are roasting, you’ll bring together the base of the soup on the stovetop with just a few simple ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Onion and garlic – sautéed to bring out their flavors
- Dried herb seasoning – You can use Italian seasoning or another herb/veggie seasoning blend (like this Herb Fest Seasoning from Frontier Co-Op).
- White wine – to deglaze the pan
- White beans – Canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, help make this so quick and easy.
- Broth – Chicken or vegetable broth brings much more flavor than water for your main liquid. I prefer low-sodium so you can adjust the salt level (with better-tasting sea salt) to your preference.
- Sea salt – Salting at each stage of cooking actually helps build the flavor in unique ways. Use a regular sea salt for the base and adjust to taste throughout cooking. Save delicate fleur de sel for a finishing touch.
- Pepper – Freshly cracked black pepper goes a long way here. If you want an extra kick of flavor, I highly recommend a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper.
- Roasted fennel and broccolini – When finished roasting, they are roughly chopped and stirred in with the rest of the soup.
- Lemon juice and zest – brighten and round out the flavor profile
- Fresh chopped parsley – added at the end to retain its fresh flavor
Make it creamy
This is so much easier than you might think–the cooked veggies and beans get you 90% of the way there. Using a high-power blender, food processor, or immersion blender, blend about 3/4 of the soup on high until completely smooth, then stir this back in with the remaining hunks of veggies. If you’d rather make it completely smooth, go ahead and blend it all.
Then, for that extra creamy touch, simply stir in:
- Heavy cream OR half & half (whisked with cornstarch to thicken) OR crème fraîche (a thick, ultra-creamy cousin of sour cream that also enhances the flavor with a pop of acid)
- Aged gruyere OR Parmigiano Reggiano (for just the right amount of richness plus deep, salty, nutty notes)
Finishing touches
Pan-seared, crispy ham or bacon is optional (but recommended) for topping. It elevates the savory, smoky, umami elements of the soup even further, and it doesn’t hurt if you’re trying to fill up the family with a one-pot, protein-packed dinner.
Finally, don’t forget extra Parmigiano Reggiano or aged gruyere and crusty bread to sop up all the creamy goodness.
Roasted Broccolini, Fennel, & White Bean Soup
This creamy, hearty, and satisfying winter soup combines beautifully charred, roasted sweet fennel and broccolini with brothy white beans, onion, garlic and herbs, all blended and finished with a touch of cream, gruyere, lemon, and crispy ham.
Ingredients
- 5 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 fennel bulb (8-10 oz raw), sliced into finger-sized sticks
- 10-12 oz broccolini, sliced lengthwise into halves or thirds
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning or other dried veggie/herb seasoning blend
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for roasting vegetables
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Aleppo pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
- 2 Tbsp white wine
- 1-1/3 cups canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup half & half whisked with 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch OR 2 Tbsp crème fraîche
- 1.5 oz aged gruyere or Parmigiano Reggiano, finely shredded, plus more to garnish
- Fleur de sel, to taste (optional)
- 4 oz sliced ham (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Prep the fennel bulb: Cut off the stalks and fronds. Cut off the root end. Remove the tough outer layer of the bulb. Cut out the innermost cores. Then slice the thick bulb layers into finger-sized sticks.
- On a sheet pan lined with foil, spread out the sliced fennel bulb. Toss with about 1 tsp olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. Transfer to the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.
- Slice the broccolini stalks lengthwise into halves or thirds. On a separate sheet pan lined with foil, spread out the sliced broccolini. Toss with about 2 tsp olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. After the fennel has been roasting for 10 minutes, add the broccolini, and continue roasting about 20 minutes. The fennel and broccolini should both be tender throughout, fragrant, and charred on the edges. Remove from oven. and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the dried herb seasoning, 1/2 tsp sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and Aleppo pepper (if using).
- Deglaze the pan with white wine, stirring to scrape up browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in cannellini beans and broth. Bring to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 30 minutes.
- When cool, transfer roasted fennel and broccolini to a large cutting board and roughly chop. Add roasted/chopped fennel and broccolini, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a handful of fresh chopped parsley in with the rest of the soup; stir to combine. Cover and lightly simmer 5-10 minutes for the flavors to marry.
- Using a high-power blender, food processor, or immersion blender, blend about 3/4 of the soup on high until completely smooth. (If desired, you can blend all of the soup.) Stir the blended portion back into the Dutch oven with the unblended portion. Add additional broth if desired for a thinner consistency. Return to low heat.
- If using, whisk half & half with cornstarch until no lumps remain. Stir the slurry (or crème fraîche) into the soup. Then stir in cheese until incorporated.
- Taste and adjust salt (with a pinch of fleur de sel), pepper, and lemon, as needed.
- For ham: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly grease as needed. Tear ham and add to the hot skillet. Sear about 1 minute per side, just until browned and crispy. Remove from heat.
- Divide soup into bowls. Top with crispy ham, additional cheese, and fresh parsley, to taste. Serve with crusty warm bread.
