Goodness Greens Soup

This recipe is old as the hills on this site but one I remember well. I want food to taste good and I want variety, but, like my morning shake, I’m drawn to the idea of the “perfect meal”. My shake is half a frozen banana, frozen blueberries or strawberries, a nice clean chocolate protein powder, ground flaxseed, a ton of fresh spinach and almond milk. When it comes to a shake, I’ve boiled it down to what’s healthiest for me to start the day with, all in one big cup. Good fat, protein, berries and spinach. Lovely. This soup is like the dinner version of my shake. 

There are days when my diet is a mess – mostly the kids leftovers and chocolate chips etc – but because I had my shake in the morning I know there was some goodness in my day. I’ve never done a diet of any sort, but I’ll definitely “tighten up” every once in a while. It’s all about the narrative I create in my head. If I say, “you can’t eat chocolate chips, you can’t have ice cream after dinner” then I get grumpy and fixate on the things I said I can’t have. Instead I’ll think, “how can I be the most healthy? How can I cram in the most nutrients?” Greens, in any way, shape or form, is always a part of this change. Greens work on any diet, are bursting with nutrients (kale or spinach is in any top ten list) and are low in calories. I like them best cooked with lots of garlic and olive oil but in this soup, you don’t even taste them. 

This soup tastes like rosemary but with the paprika and cumin it’s a complex flavor. The cayenne gives a great kick in the back of your throat (Tess and Leo ate it without a peep but Rosie complained that it was “tasty” which means spicy in Rosie-speak). The beans give it body and protein (as well as MORE fiber). This is a soup to make when you’re ready to get back on track; you can freeze it in quarts and have a cup for a snack or lunch every day. It’s the best thing you can do for your health. 

Goodness Greens Soup

Makes 16 cups

Adapted from Clean Eating

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 bulbs fennel, finely diced (about 2 c.)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne

10 c. chicken broth (or vegetable if needed)

1 sprig fresh rosemary (of 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary added with spices above)

1 (16 oz) container baby spinach and kale 

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 c. canned white beans, drained and rinsed (Eden Organic if looking for Lectin free)

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, fennel and salt and stir to combine.

2. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.

3. Add cumin, paprika, cayenne and rosemary (if using dried) and stir to coat veggies; cook for 3 more minutes.

4. Add broth and rosemary (if using fresh). Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

6. Add greens, salt, pepper, and beans to pot and stir until greens are wilted. Remove stem from rosemary (if using fresh). 

8. Using immersion blender, puree soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, add soup to blender with ladle then return pureed soup to pot. Taste for seasoning, and serve.