Spring Green Soup

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought that anything edible that’s also the color green must be good for you. As kids, didn’t we always shy away from green vegetables as though we’d break out in hives if we even so much as touched them? As an adult, I’ve come to love green vegetables. Spinach. Cabbage. Brussel Sprouts. Asparagus. Arugula. Broccoli. You name it … if it’s green, I’ll probably eat it.

Since I don’t eat enough of these good-for-you foods, I try to find ways to cram as many of them as possible into one dish … and putting them in a pot of soup is a great way to accomplish this!

As you may already know, I’m a vegetarian so there won’t be any corned beef and cabbage for me on St. Patty’s Day.  A bowl of Spring Green Soup is a healthy alternative to the standard Irish holiday fare.

I love playing in the kitchen, tweaking recipes or concocting my own. I consider myself a bit of a novice foodie. I grew up in a meat and potatoes type home. My mother has a very limited palette so there wasn’t a lot of experimenting with different foods. The only green vegetable she eats is green beans … usually from a can with nothing but butter and salt to season them. Boring!

I love my mother dearly, but I’m glad I’m more adventurous than she is when it comes to food. I think she’s missed out on so many wonderful flavors. But when it comes to baking, that woman can whip up a mean Hummingbird Cake. The best I’ve ever had! But I digress … back to the healthy soup.  I made this Spring Green Soup for lunch the other day and hubby gave it a “10.” Wow!

If you want to try something new for St. Patrick’s Day, I hope you’ll give my Spring Green Soup a try! Soup is one of my favorite things to create from scratch. It’s so easy to be creative with soup and it’s a great way to use items in the fridge before they spoil.  Without further adieu, here’s the recipe for Spring Green Soup.

Spring Green Soup

1 tablespoon butter
2 leeks, finely sliced
6 1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 tablespoons arborio rice
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 head round lettuce, cored and chopped
2 c. chopped spinach
3/4 light cream
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 c. arugula leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat and add leeks. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, wine, rice, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf with generous pinch of salt. Bring just to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add lettuce and spinach and cook for 10 minutes more until leaves are softened. Stir occasionally.

Let soup cool slightly then puree in blender until smooth (work in batches to make this step easier). Return soup to pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream and nutmeg. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until soup is heated through. Add arugula and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheesy croutons and serve immediately.

Note: This soup thickens when refrigerated. Add water, milk or cream to thin soup if it’s too thick.

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