Quick and Creamy Pureed Soups—Creamy Sweet Corn Soup and Creamy Broccoli Soup

Pureed soups are versatile and very flavorful soups.  If you have a food blender or better yet, a stick blender, you can whip up these creamy soups out of any vegetables you have—starchy root crops, corn and beans.  The creamy consistency and homogeneous texture of this type of soup makes it a hit with both adults and kids alike.  Pureed soups are, in fact, the best way to introduce vegetables to kids, babies even.

With tortilla, crackers or toast, these creamy soups can be meals by themselves or can just serve as accompaniments to main dishes.  They can be cooked in big batches and just frozen in single-serving containers for ready-to-eat meals later.

Creamy Sweet Corn Soup

The natural sweetness and richness of sweet corn is already so satisfying you don’t have to add anything more, as this creamy soup proves.  Cook up a big batch and freeze some for future meals.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 16 ears of yellow corn
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• tortilla chips (optional)
• lime wedges (optional)
• scallions, sliced (optional)
 

Directions:

• Remove the husks and silks from the corn.  Hold each ear of corn in a large bowl and slice off the kernels from the cob and into the bowl.
• Puree the corn kernels along with their juices in 2 cups of water until chunky.  You may have to work in 2 batches.
• Pour the pureed corn into a large saucepan and add in 4 cups of water, butter and salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat before reducing heat to low.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with garnishing of tortilla chips, lime wedges and scallions.
 

Creamy Broccoli Soup

All the healthful goodness of broccoli is yours in this creamy soup.  In less than an hour, you’ll have 8 servings of thick and creamy, nutritious and filling soup.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 8 cups chicken broth
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• 3 lbs. broccoli, florets separated and stems peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds
• coarse salt
• ground black pepper
 

Directions:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil and sauté onion for about 5 minutes.  Add in the nutmeg and cook for about half a minute until fragrant.
• Pour in the broth and water and add in rolling oats and broccoli.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Puree the soup in batches, filling the blender only halfway.  Return the soup to the pot and season again with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 2 minutes and serve hot.