How Green is that Green Soup!

Not just a beautiful, vibrant color, but a healthy soup full of vitamin-rich leafy greens and tasty vegetables. Get your healthy on with this super easy green soup! {Vegan, dairy-free}

Have you ever proudly shown your fam the super healthy, briiiight green smoothie you just made, and they cringed or gasped … or cried a little … and then suddenly had to go rake the leaves or do their algebra homework, while you stood there blinking in confusion?

That reaction always cracks me up, lol — evil green food.

I’m a vegetable gardener, so green is … everything. It’s life and beauty and food. The Crayola crayon produce we love so much — lemons and carrots and bell peppers and pomegranates and blueberries — are all nurtured by green, are only possible because of green. Green leaves and stems and branches. They fill plants with energy and nutrients. Without green, we’d have no yellow, orange, red, purple, or blue.

Green is life.

And from the moment Anna Thomas’ deep green soup crossed my FB feed back in the fall, I was head-over-heels smitten.

Seeing that soup inspired months of experimentation. Testing, not because the original soup wasn’t fabu (it was). Or the second or third or fourth version, for that matter.

I couldn’t stop futzing with this green soup because the colors were just amazing. Small tweaks in the ingredient balance meant big tonal swings in the soup, from forest green to mint green to goldenrod.

I’m also on a serious vegetable roasting kick this winter, so, that had to happen. Parsnips, leeks, fennel, onions, and garlic are roasting superstars.

Oh, and so is the romaine. Did you know that romaine can stand up to grilling and roasting? It’s da bomb. Try it and see!

It was all super tasty, all of it, but still, I was mesmerized by the color.

Loads of leafy kale, spinach, and romaine set the stage for green. Pale root vegetables and rich vegetable stock add varying degrees of yellow.

For the batch that was photographed for this post, a last minute tossing of fresh cilantro and parsley into the blender kicked a split-green-pea color into neon territory.

So pretty. So refreshing and light. It’s spring in a bowl, with the deep flavor-comfort of winter.

This is a fantastic appetizer soup. And also when your tummy just can’t handle anything heavy, but you need to get warmth and nutrients into your body, stat.

I used miso to give this soup extra savory leanings — and a boost of healthy, fermented seasonings — but you can also add ginger, or lemongrass, or loads of garlic rather than just a few cloves.

My green soup is naturally vegan, but do check the label on the miso jar before you buy it: some misos are made with bonita or fish shavings. The miso I prefer is crafted with just fermented soybeans and grains.

It’s January — let’s go green!

Karen xo

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How Green is that Green Soup?

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: SoupAddict

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the vegetables

• 1 medium-large leek, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 head hearts of romaine, sliced in half lengthwise
• olive oil

for the soup

• 1 small bunch of kale, thick stems removed, leaves chopped
• 1 small bunch of spinach, stems removed, leaves chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt
• Lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Arrange the leek, onion, parsnips, and garlic on the baking sheet, leaving room for the two halves of the romaine. Brush all with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast for 20 minutes.
3. When there's 8 minutes left, brush the romaine halves with olive oil and add them to the baking sheet.
4. The vegetables and romaine are ready when their edges are a golden brown. Remove from oven.
5. Meanwhile, bring the broth in a medium soup pot to a gentle boil, then reduce to medium-low and let settle for a few minutes.
6. Spoon the miso into a small prep bowl, and add a few tablespoons of the hot broth, stirring until the miso has dissolved. Add the miso and rice vinegar to the pot.
7. Add the kale and spinach leaves and cook until the leaves have wilted, but are still bright green.
8. Scrape the roasted vegetables into the broth. Stir and taste for saltiness. Add in small amounts until the soup has a gentle pop of bright flavor.
9. Puree the soup in a blender (you might need to do this in batches; I have a standard blender and didn't have to). Don't hesitate to let the blender run for several minutes. (Be careful of the top, which will want to fly off because of the hot pressure inside.) You'll see the bits of kale get smaller and smaller, until they look like flecks of pepper in the liquid.
10. Return the soup to the pot and heat through again. Taste, and add a sprinkle of lemon juice, and more salt, as needed.
11. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, and top garnishes such as fresh, chopped parsley, radish sprouts, or pomegranate seeds.

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