Family Chow Hall

Spinach Soup

February 13th, 2006

Creamy, colorful, and comforting… This soup is requires a little work, but is well worth the effort. Start with a few chopped vegetables in a cream soup base, add the spinach, and top with bacon and Provolone cheese to make it memorable.

Today’s trip to the dentist made me wish I had planned a soup like this one for my evening meal. A cold winter afternoon is another great time to prepare this soup. If you have time, make some garlic bread or breadsticks to go with it.

I’m always happy to find a great recipe that uses spinach. I love the stuff raw, but cooked I could do without it. However, this soup passes the test!

Spinach Soup
serves 4 - 6 / prep. time: 20-30 minutes / cook time: 20 minutes

1/2 c. chopped red pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk or half n half
10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. shredded Provolone cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Thaw, drain and squeeze as much water as humanly possible from the spinach. Set aside. In a stock pot, saute the other vegetables in the butter. When cooked (onions will turn clear when cooked) sprinkle the flour in and stir to make a paste. Slowly add broth, then the milk. Break the spinach up with a fork, then add it to the soup, along with the salt and pepper. Heat through.

When serving, top each bowl with some crumbled bacon and Provolone cheese.

(If you can only find sliced Provolone, just chop it up as rather small. Or, good Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese can be substituted for the Provolone.)

Entry Filed under: Recipes, Soup, Supper