I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just really crave a good, hearty soup. And trust me, this one is SUPER hearty. In fact, it’s almost more like the consistency of chili in terms of thickness, although it’s mostly blended, so it’s not chunky like chili.

In fact, this would also make a great thick sauce to dress some proteins like chicken or a white fish. However, if you want it closer to soup consistency, just add an extra cup of unsweetened almond milk to thin it out. Each additional cup adds one condiment to the entire batch.

One thing you’ll learn about the way I cook is that I measure everything in grams. I don’t like using measuring cups as I find them to be less accurate. Plus, it’s easier to clean up when I use bowls and my scale (you can zero out after each ingredient and often put everything in one bowl, if a recipe works out that way). So for most recipes, I’ll include the gram weight as well. Feel free to do whichever works best for you. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Broccoli {6 greens}
• 248g or 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (2-3 grams fat/oz.) {1 Lean}
• 112g or 1 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese {1 Lean}
• 16 oz. (2 cups) of unsweetened almond milk {2 condiments}
• 1 tsp chopped garlic {1 condiment}
• Salt & pepper to taste {optional condiment}

Entire batch yields 2 servings. Each serving equals 1 Lean & 3 Greens, plus 1.5 condiments.

Instructions:

1. Cut florets from one head of broccoli, removing all stems, and chop
2. In a deep pot, add a little cooking spray and warm the garlic (watch the heat so you don’t burn the garlic)
3. Add in the chopped broccoli {does anybody else hear Dana Carvey singing? lol}
4. Stir the broccoli for a few minutes until lightly cooked
5. Add the almond milk and bring to a slow boil
6. Add the ricotta and mix until well combined
7. Use a hand blender until smooth, leaving a few pieces of broccoli in tact
8. Add the shredded cheddar and mix until well combined
9. Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired
10. Separate into two or four servings