We've told you several times about our favorite pasta template with meat and greens. It's so easy to stir in some arugula or spinach and watch it wilt and soften from the heat of the pasta.
Well, last night we cooked a chicken chowder that we've made dozens of times. It doesn't call for greens, but we had some spinach, so we stirred it in at the end. It made the soup so, so much better—brighter and healthier.
Get some more tips, below...
With pasta, it's important to use a delicate green that cooks quickly, like spinach, arugula, or escarole. With hot, boiling soup, you can use something heartier. Kale, mustard greens, even collards would work.
Use a mixture! Throw in leftovers. Greens add color and texture and go with pretty much anything—vegetable soups, bean soups, Asian soups with tofu... They'll cook best in a soup that's broth-based rather than puréed or stew-ish.
The soup pictured above is from Gourmet.
• Get the recipe: Kale and White Bean Soup
(Image: Lisa Hubbard for Gourmet)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Kale all the way!
view EasilyAmused's profile
i do that with spinach all the time (i usually have it on hand for salads anyway). i'll even stir it into nuked canned soup. i also will stir it into pasta sauce.
view thinkingwoman's profile
I love greens in soup! I love mustard greens especially, their flavor is something I crave. About February they become impossible to find and I pine for them until spring.
My soup "template" is 1 1/2 cups of dried beans, soaked and cooked in the crock pot, a starchy vegetable (potato, turnip, sweet potato), a crunchy vegetable (green or red pepper, celery), a carrot (all soups need a carrot), a roasted tomato half, and greens. Then add extras-- peanut butter, coconut milk, regular milk, bacon, whatever. It can be spicy with jalapeno, curried, extra tomatoey. Just don't skip the greens, they are indispensable.
view matchbookhymnal's profile