Fresh Spinach Soup with Minted Pea and Cilantro
A fresh spinach soup made potatoes and onions, and elevated with flavor from the addition of fresh peas, mint, and cilantro. This beautiful green soup can be served both hot or cold!
Ingredients
Oven-Dried Grape Tomatoes (optional):
- ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
Fresh Spinach Soup:
- 1½ tablespoons (22 g) unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 small white potatoes peeled and diced
- 3½ cups (780 mL) low-sodium vegetable stock
- 10 ounces fresh or frozen peas
- 1 lb (16 oz) baby spinach
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- juice ½ lemon
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) heavy cream plus more for garnishing
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- oven-dried grape or cherry tomatoes for garnishing
Instructions
- Prepare Oven-Dried Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C) with a rack in the center position. Place the halved grape or cherry tomatoes on half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- 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. 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: Heat the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot until melted and bubbling. Add the onion and potato, and sauté, stirring frequently, for roughly 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and simmer for roughly 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- 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. 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.
- Transfer the soup to a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, and puree until very smooth. Add the mint and cilantro to the blender, and puree again until incorporated and pureed. Return the pureed soup to the pot and return to heat. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, stir in the heavy cream. Serve soup hot or cold with a drizzle of cream, olive oil, and garnish with oven-dried cherry tomatoes.
Tips for Success:
- 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 re-season with additional salt and pepper.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 465kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 487mg, Fiber: 17g, Sugar: 20g