This is a re-post from a while ago…but I just made a big pot and boy was it good.
Green thumb. Green light. Green room. Greenback. Greenhorn. Green with envy. Green around the gills. Greener pastures.
Lean Green fighting machine. Oh wait a second, did I get that one wrong? 😏
No matter, because that is exactly what you will be if you eat more, yeah, you know what’s coming here: GREENS.
This soup blends a gorgeous combination of spinach and broccoli, giving you all the benefits of the Batman and Robin cruciferous crusaders of the plant world, packed with vitamins, minerals, and fabulous flavonoids. SO what, might you ask?
Well, how’s a healthy cardiovascular system sound to you?
What about some reduced blood pressure to go along with that?
Maybe a little anti-inflammatory anti-cancer action?
OR how about the most awesome, comforting and yummy bowl of soup? Quick and easy and all that other good stuff? Olive/yuk green may just become your favorite color…
This batch of garden goodness gets its start with sautéd leeks. Leeks look like they could be green onions on steroids, but they are actually a distant cousin, and quite mild and aromatic in comparison. They are a really sandy veggie, however, as they are grown in the dirt, so I trim off the greenest part and then slice the leek lengthwise down the middle. If there is any grit to be found that’s where it will be and you can just rinse it right away. Then give it a good chop.
You are going to use everything that you bought when you got that broccoli….no waste here! Just go ahead and trim off the really dry ends of the stalks, and if they feel really tough, maybe give them a tiny bit of a shave down with a vegetable peeler. Then start chopping! Leaves, stems, everything! Keep the chop on the stalks pretty small, they are tougher than the flowerets and need that little extra help for even cooking time.
Heat up a big soup pot with some butter and olive oil and once that gets hot in goes your chopped leeks. Give that around five minutes to get nice and soft and then add one finely minced clove of garlic and spin that around long enough just to get incorporated. Now add that beautiful batch of broccoli. Stir in one medium-sized peeled and cubed potato, some dried thyme, salt and pepper. I always love a pinch of red pepper flake for a touch of heat but that is completely up to you. Now drench it all with enough chicken stock just to cover the veggies. Put a lid on it and let this simmer gently away until the veggies are nice and tender when you poke ’em with a fork, about 5 minutes.
Once the potato and broccoli are feelin’ smooshable, it’s time to add the spinach. Mix it in there as best as you can. It will look like WAY. TOO. MUCH. Until it wilts. Magic! It only takes a few minutes for this to shrink down. And once it does….
Time to blend everybody up! I hope you have an immersion blender – especially if you are a soup person. It’s basically a blender on a stick and it makes pulverizing super easy. Go ahead and get out your conventional blender if that’s what you have, it does the job just as well. You may have to do it in batches, however….and be careful! This stuff is hot.
Blend away until you have a nice thick consistency, then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Add a little leftover stock if you think you need to thin it out. Give it a taste and adjust your seasoning if you’re feelin’ it. Probably could use some salt.
Serve this up with a sprinkle of finely grated cheese (I happened to have some Asiago….but use what you have on hand!) and a scatter of roasted pumpkin seeds – or a dollop of greek yogurt and a drizzle of olive oil! Oh yummmm. How about a smattering of fresh parsley or cilantro, perhaps?
Don’t have any of that stuff? Well, then.
All you really need is a spoon.
RECIPE BELOW: This makes at 4-6 servings. Will take you twenty minutes from start to finish…..take you longer to clean up all those potato peelings and leek scraps. Leftovers are SO GOOD….hellooooo lunch!
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large or 2 small leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned really well and chopped...OR you can use one medium sweet onion, finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 small head of broccoli, trimmed: stalks and leaves and florets chopped
- 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cubed
- 8 oz fresh spinach (about 3-4 cups) roughly chopped
- 1 32oz box of chicken broth.... OR to keep it VEGETARIAN, use a veggie stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- pinch of red pepper flake
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- Grated cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds......or greek yogurt and a drizzle of olive oil.....or a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro........or just even a fresh grind of black pepper.........
- In a medium soup pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat
- Once it gets foamy add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 2 to 5 minutes, add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Add the chopped broccoli, potato and thyme, stir to combine. Add some salt and pepper, and a pinch of the red pepper flake if desired. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes
- Lower the heat a bit, and then add enough stock to just barely cover the veggies. Cover, with the lid open just a bit, the let the veggies simmer in the stock until fork tender, about five minutes.
- Add the spinach and push it down into the pot until it wilts. Remove from the heat.
- Use an immersion blender (or standard blender) to blend the mixture into a puree.
- Add the lemon juice; taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in more broth to thin out the soup, if it's too thick
- Serve up in a shallow bowl and top with any of the suggestions, above!
- * you will probably not use all of this, don't be surprised. Just pop what's left in the fridge, this stuff is good for so many things.
- This makes 4 very generous servings! The leftovers are just as amazing if not better the next day.
