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Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro

May 7, 2014
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Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro | bloggingoverthyme.com

Apparently this week is all about the green food.

We ate some fried zucchini on Monday (you know, because it was Monday), and now I’m back to convince you to add this healthy, super green spring soup to your meal rotation as well. It’s all about balance, right?

Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro | bloggingoverthyme.com

Even though the weather is warming up, soup is not even close to being off my radar. I’m pretty sure I’ve been making a homemade soup at least once every two weeks for as long as I can remember (i.e the past three months or so).

I tend to break my favorite soup recipes into a few different categories. Some are heartier and reserved for the winter months, some are lighter and ideal for spring, and others I prefer to serve cold in the summer months.

Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro | bloggingoverthyme.com

Luckily, this soup is versatile in that it can be served both hot or cold. It tastes just as good either way, so it is really up to your own preference! [After trying it both ways, I’m partial to say that I may even prefer it cold? This is very unusual for me.]

Don’t be mistaken, this soup is definitely delicate in flavor. I always fear that spinach-based soups will be a little dull or flat, but this soup is quite the opposite of that. The addition of potatoes and onion definitely helps, but it is really the combination of the fresh peas, mint and cilantro that helps take it to the next level.

Fresh herbs are a must!

Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro | bloggingoverthyme.com

The soup itself is incredibly easy to put together! It takes less than thirty minutes from start to finish (longer, of course, if you need to allow it to cool if you are choosing to serve it cold).

If you have time (roughly 3 hours of inactive time to be exact) and are feeling up to it, the oven-dried tomato garnish is the perfect finishing touch. They can be made ahead of time (and kept in the fridge in a covered container for a few days) too.

To make oven-dried tomatoes, simply place some halved grape or cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, set your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, close the door, and walk away. Don’t come back for a while.

Making oven-dried anything is the ultimate test of patience, which is probably why you don’t see a lot of oven-dried things around these parts.

Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro | bloggingoverthyme.com

It is completely optional–seriously, it is definitely not an integral component, so don’t feel like you will be missing out–but it definitely adds a little drama to the bowl! The contrast in color can’t be beat.

Seriously, this soup is good. My dad, who tends to be a little wary of anything too green, happened to try this one and loved it. And if that is not the ultimate stamp of approval, than I don’t know what is!

Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea & Cilantro

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

Oven-Dried Grape Tomatoes (optional):

  • 1/2 cup grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved

Fresh Spinach Soup:

  • 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 1/2 cups vegetables stock
  • 10 ounces fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 lb fresh baby spinach
  • 10 fresh mint leaves
  • 3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream (plus more for garnish)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil, for drizzling
  • oven-dried grape tomatoes, optional (see above)

Directions:

Prepare Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the halved cherry tomatoes on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  2. Dry the tomatoes in the oven for 3 hours–stirring every hour or so–until they are shriveled and have lost most of their moisture.
  3. Allow tomatoes to cool on a rack. If preparing in advance, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Prepare Soup:

  1. Heat the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion and potato, and saute, stirring frequently, for roughly 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the vegetable broth and simmer for roughly 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
  3. Add the fresh peas and simmer until just tender, or roughly 2 minutes. Avoid overcooking the peas, as they will lose their vibrant green color.
  4. Add the spinach and immediately remove the soup from the heat. Stir the spinach into the broth and soup base until it has wilted and the volume has decreased significantly.
  5. Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender and puree until smooth. Add the mint and cilantro to the blender, and puree again until incorporated and pureed. Return the pureed soup to pot and return to heat. Add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Before serving, stir in the heavy cream.
  6. Serve soup hot or cold with a drizzle of cream, olive oil, and garnish with oven-dried cherry tomatoes.

Soup can be served hot or cold (if serving cold, you may need to thin the soup down with another dash or two of vegetable stock–and season more aggressively).

Adapted heavily from The Times Magazine.

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Posted in: All Recipes, Diet, Gluten Free, Healthy and Light, Season, Soups, Soups and Stews, Spring, Vegetarian
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