Step 1

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large soup pot, add your onions, celery and carrots. Sauté until the veggies are soft and golden brown.

Step 2

Season the carrots, onions and celery with a few shakes of black pepper, sprinkle the onion and garlic powder until all the veggies have a sprinkle. (you do not need to exact measure, just sprinkle as much or as little as you like, you can taste and add more if needed) Then add just a small pinch of nutmeg, chili powder and paprika.

Step 3

In a cup, dissolve the better than bouillon with a cup of hot water and add it to the pot. Then add the rest of your water (11 cups)

Step 4

Taste the broth and see if you maybe need to add a little bit more better than bouillon. Bring this mixture to a low boil, reduce heat to simmer and then add your broccoli and asparagus. The veggies don't need to be cut up super small, as they are going to soften and you will be blending this. Simmer the soup for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Step 5

After one hour, check to make sure your broccoli and asparagus are soft, stir in all the spinach, then using an immersion blender, blend your soup until smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, blend your soup in batches in a regular blender and then add back to the pot.

Step 6

Add the remaining butter to the pot and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes. Taste your soup and adjust the seasonings if needed.

Step 7

If you are going to make the croutons, butter your bread slices, sprinkle each slice with the cheese, I then added a little black pepper and some dried dill. Bake, broil or air fry until the bread is crispy.

Step 8

Cut the bread into cubes, add to the soup, top your soup with black pepper and the sliced green onions.