Foodie Fridays: Spinach Soup

We had an unusually cool and wet spring this year, which means that my vegetable garden got off to a slow start.  This weather pattern has been great for growing spinach, however, and I have an abundance that needs to be harvested now that it is warming up.  I thought I would try making a creamy spinach soup with some of the harvest, and found this recipe from Ree Drummond on the Food Network website.  I normally do not make many of her recipes as they tend to be too rich for me, but this soup is an exception since it uses milk rather than cream.

I used 2% milk instead of whole milk, which I found worked just fine.  I also added some nutmeg, which I always like to use with cooked spinach.  I substituted chipotle pepper powder for the cayenne as the latter is too hot for me and I like the smokiness of chipotle peppers.  At the very end of cooking I like to stir a bit of vinegar into soups for added flavor (I used a maple balsamic vinegar).  I often find creamy soups to be rather bland, but the seasonings (especially the chili pepper) make this soup quite tasty, so this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Spinach Soup

2 T. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach, torn into pieces if large
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 C. flour
3 C. whole or 2% milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. chipotle pepper powder
1 T. balsamic vinegar

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the spinach and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add 1/4 C. water and blend with a stick blender until puréed.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.  Rinse out the pot.

Melt the butter in the soup pot.  Add the onions and cook over medium heat until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to combine.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then pour in the milk, stirring occasionally.  Add the nutmeg, salt, and chipotle pepper powder and stir to combine.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour in the pureed spinach, then cook until thickened, another 3 to 5 minutes.  Blend with a stick blender until the onions are puréed.  Stir in the vinegar.

Check the seasonings, adding more salt, nutmeg, and/or chipotle pepper powder as needed, and serve.  Serves 4.