Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup with Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds

Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup with Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds makes a show-stopping soup starter for your holiday table!

I can’t remember the first time I had a Brussels sprout, I just know that I was a sprout lover when sprout-loving wasn’t cool.  It seems they were ignored for most of my lifetime.

However, Brussels sprouts have now become an “it” vegetable.  I think the worldwide love affair began when a food genius somewhere decided to roast them.  Kudos to you, Food Genius!

There’s cream-of-everything-else soup, so why not cream of Brussels sprout soup?  “Cream of” soups are easy and elegant and once you make them yourself, you’ll never buy canned cream soup again.

Basic Technique for making a cream soup:

The basic technique I follow for cream soups is to:

• Cook onion in butter and oil (oil is needed so the butter doesn’t burn).
• Add garlic, vegetable or chicken broth followed by the green veggie I’m using.
• Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the veggies are tender–about 20 minutes.  I like to simmer uncovered so the flavors concentrate.
• I then add the cream or half-and-half.  Here, I used ricotta cheese instead for a light cheesy touch.  
• Puree until smooth in a food processor, blender or in the pot with an immersion blender.  An immersion blender is highly recommended so you’re not transferring hot liquids to a blender or food processor.
• Season to taste with salt and black pepper and voila!
• Depending upon the cream soup you’re making, alcohol such as wine or sherry or an acid such as lemon juice is a nice touch.  For example, sherry is amazing with mushrooms.  However, when you’re working with green vegetables, alcohol and acids can turn the color of your soup a not-very-attractive drab green so it’s best to avoid them.

This creamy masterpiece is topped with thinly sliced Brussels sprouts sauteed in a little bit of butter then seasoned with salt and pepper and…..these Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds!  These almonds are my new favorite thing!  They’re super easy, not overly sweet and also make a great salad topper.  I used them on my Butternut Squash, Leek and Goat Cheese Galette as a finishing touch.

Enjoy!

Helpful Tools and Equipment to make Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup with Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds  (Affiliate Links):

Yield: 4-6

Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup with Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds

Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup with Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds makes a show-stopping soup starter for your holiday table!

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Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup with Butter and Turbinado Toasted Almonds makes a show-stopping soup starter for your holiday table!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• SOUP
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (reserve 4 sprouts for garnish)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese, whole or part-skim
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ALMONDS
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Instructions

1. SOUP: Heat 2 tablespoons butter and the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.
2. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until onion is softened, being careful not to brown it.
3. Add the garlic and all but 4 of the Brussels sprouts. Stir to coat with the fat.
4. Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 20-25 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are very tender.
5. Add the ricotta cheese and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Keep warm.
6. Thinly slice the remaining Brussels sprouts.
7. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add the sliced Brussels sprouts and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tender, being careful not to brown them. Season with salt and black pepper.
8. ALMONDS: Heat the butter in a small non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and the sugar and cook, stirring often until the almonds being to brown slightly. (They can burn very quickly!)
9. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spread out slightly (it's okay if they're touching) and let cool.
10. Serve soup topped with some of the cooked sliced Brussels sprouts and some of the almonds.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

4
Amount Per Serving Calories 342Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 46mgSodium 1390mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 6gSugar 12gProtein 13g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.