Brussel sprout soup?

Weird, I know. But it was actually good! I wanted to come up with a creative way to use the massive amounts of leftover brussel sprouts we had from Thanksgiving. I love brussel sprouts, but even I couldn't eat the almost 4 cups we had left over. Our brussels were simply boiled in salted water with some butter and parmesan cheese at the end. But roasted brussels or those cooked with onions would also work great. The soup I came up with is similar to a pureed zucchini soup my mom makes. It's a great way to eat more vegetables and produced a thick, creamy soup great for these cool nights. So give this a try if you have leftover brussels or even if you just want to try a new way to eat veggies. Enjoy!

Brussel sprout soup:

• 1/2 onion
• 1-2 carrots and celery
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 3-4 c vegetable stock
• 3-4 c cooked brussel sprouts (or try zucchini or broccoli)
• 1/2 c parmesan
• 3/4 c milk
• S and P

Mince and saute the onion, carrots and celery (known as mirepoix in culinary lingo) in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot.
Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes
Add the potatoes and enough stock to cover them; bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 min or until the potatoes are soft
Add the brussel sprouts and more broth as needed.
Once the brussels are heated through, use an immersion blender to puree the entire mixture. (A food processor would also work)
Add the parmesan cheese, milk and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir and enjoy!

You can make this soup as thick or thin as you want, depending on how much broth and milk you use. I used lowfat milk which tasted great and kept it healthy but cream would make a more decadent soup, so your choice. I served it with some toasted whole grain bread, great for dipping, and some leftover swiss chard (clearly I love veggies!). But the soup could definitely stand alone and be very satisfying.

For a printable recipe click here