This romanesco soup with pistachios is a tasty and delicious fall meal! Filling and so healthy!
So…do you know what a this vegetable is is?
Romanesco broccoli…this crazy, alien looking thing:
Isn’t it fascinating? I love the way it grows – look at the little points that spiral around. We’ve bought a couple of them at the Farmer’s Market this fall, and I decided that I would make a soup with one.
I make broccoli soup all the time, and to be honest, this tastes somewhat similar, but the flavor of the romanesco is a bit milder. We really enjoyed this romanesco soup. It disappeared very quickly!
The mild flavor of romanesco may make it a good choice for children – they may prefer this flavor to the stronger flavor of broccoli. I also found that it didn’t smell as much when I was cooking it, which was a nice surprise! If you love roasted broccoli, you could also try roasting romanesco – it’s very good that way as well.
The one thing that’s a little bit odd about this vegetable is that the core is pretty hard and dense, so it’s not as easy to trim as broccoli is, with its stalk and florets. Once you get done cutting it up though, it’s really delicious in soup or roasted as a side.
We love this romanesco soup with these homemade gluten free crackers – so delicious!
Things to know about cooking with romanesco:
- it’s a little harder to trim, because the core is very hard
- the flavor is milder than broccoli
- it takes about the same time to cook as cauliflower or broccoli
- it’s a good choice for substituting in recipes that require broccoli or cauliflower
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Vegan Romanesco Soup with Pistachios.
Ingredients
- 1 head romanesco broccoli rinsed, and florets removed
- 2 cups cauliflower
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- â…“ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- pistachios or other nuts or seeds for topping optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion starts to soften, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the romanesco, cauliflower, and vegetable broth. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. If you used a really large romanesco, you may need to add a little bit more broth. But not too much, you want the soup to be thick once you puree it.
- Remove pot from heat and puree soup using an immersion blender. Add non-dairy milk, salt, and pepper; stir.
- Serve topped with pistachios, other nuts, or pumpkin seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you made anything with romanesco broccoli?
Emily
Really good! One of the best soups I’ve had. I didn’t add the cauliflower bc I didn’t have it and had a pretty large Romanesco. I also fully pureed mine, creamy and smooth. I love this and would highly recommend to anyone reading the recipe.
Melissa Fuentes
I used pistachio nut milk. This was delicious and filling!!
Katie
Delicious recipe!
Lisa
I love picking up romanesco around the farmers market once in a while. Making it into a soup sounds like a great idea!
Kelly
It is a fun vegetable, right?
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Ask your boys if they think it looks like a pokemon ;)
Kelly
I totally know what Pokemon is, but I don’t think they do yet! Does that mean I’m old? :)
genevieve y
Romanesco might be ‘weird’, but I find it such a beautiful vegetable! The florets kind of remind of Christmas trees, haha. I love pistachios and I can only imagine how delicious this soup is.
Kelly
It does look like a little forest of Christmas trees!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge)
Yum! I’ve seen romanesco at the market but never actually bought it! This looks great! I am such a fan of broccoli soup.
Kelly
Try it, it’s good!
Melanie @ Nutritious Eats
Definitely weird looking, but the end product looks delicious! :)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I love romanesco! It is so fun to look at, haha!
Becca from ItsYummi.com
I LOVE romanesco! Pinning!
Kelly
Thank you for pinning!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
I don’t know that I’ve seen romanesco broccoli before, but now I’m intrigued! What a creative soup, Kelly! I love the topping of pistachios, too!
Kelly
Thanks, Gayle! If you see it, you should buy it and try it out!