I recently got a beautiful new cookbook in the mail from fellow food blogger Jenny McGruther with Nourished Kitchen, and I am excited to share one of the recipes with you today! Jenny’s new book is so nicely done and totally in line with my ideals of avoiding all highly processed food. But I must admit she does take things a step further than me by sharing how to make many amazing staples from scratch like yogurt, sour cream, kombucha, sauerkraut, and so many different kinds of breads. Plus the book has tons of other enticing recipes (over 160 in total) including soups, salads, main dishes, desserts, and more. Talk about inspiration!
The first recipe I decided to make from this book was Potato and Spinach Soup with Jalapeño. This dish sounded awesome to me because the potatoes would make the dish fairly filling, all the veggies you would need for your meal are blended in, and uh, it calls for bacon. :) I did top it off with the recommended sour cream, but the following day I had the last bit of leftover soup topped with a little mild cheddar cheese and it was pretty much just as delicious. So here is a copy of that recipe just for you. (Thanks Jenny for letting me share it!)
Potato and Spinach Soup with Jalapeño
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons butter (unsalted)
- 4 ounces bacon (finely chopped)
- 1 red onion (small, finely chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (seeded and minced)
- 2 pounds potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces spinach (tough stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped)
- sea salt (unrefined, finely ground, enough to taste)
- sour cream (to serve (or freshly grated cheese!))
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Toss in the chopped bacon and allow it to render its fat and become crisp, about 6 minutes. Stir in the onion and fry it until it softens and releases its fragrance, about 3 minutes. Stir in the jalapeño and continue frying for 1 to 2 minutes, until the jalapeño is fragrant.
- Toss the potatoes into the pot and pour in the broth. Cover the pot and allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes fall apart when pressed with the tines of a fork. Stir in the spinach, cover the pot once more, and turn off the heat. Let stand until the spinach wilts in the heat of the soup, about 8 minutes.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth, with no lumps remaining. Season with salt and serve the soup, topping each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream (or cheese).
Notes
Nutrition Facts
I have g6pd so I’m changing my diet I can’t wait to try these recipes
Oh oh…forgot to add spinach at the end ….Still yummy!
We are trying to go Nitrate free and have not found local bacon that is nitrate free.
So, the question is what I can replace the bacon with?
Hi Angi. This will help: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-add-the-smokey-flavor-of-bacon-to-vegetarian-and-vegan-dishes-171151. :)
Loved it! I made it vegetarian and didn’t peel the potatoes or chop the spinach. So easy!
This soup was an absolute hit with our family (2 adults and 2 kids ages 2 and 4 :) I used half a jalapeño and couldn’t taste a bit of heat which was fine with us! I also kept the soup chunky as my husband isn’t a fan of purees and it was so delicious! Just wanted to let others know that you can make slight variations to make it suitable to your family and it’s still just as awesome :) Thanks so much for the great recipe!!
I modified this for our vegetarian diet, and it was delicious. I omitted the bacon and sauteed the red onion in butter rather than bacon grease. I also used low sodium organic vegetable broth instead of Chicken stock.
It was so yummy, not super spicy, and the kids (ages 8 & 6) LOVED it.
WOW! I made this for my husband last night and he absolutely loved it! Easily one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing
I made this soup for dinner and it was great! Thanks for sharing! I’ll be purchasing her book :)
Hi Lisa,
So glad you have this book. I love Jenny. She is an amazing resource for real food information but more importantly she focuses on the proper preparation of grains. Since you seem to focus a lot on the use of whole grains, are you thinking about switching to preparing your grain-based dishes properly, by deactivating the anti-nutrients, so that the grains will not leach nutrients from you and your children’s bodies? The same goes for beans and legumes. It’s quite simple and usually just involves soaking or souring with an acid medium. This is so important so that your bodies can absorb the vitamins whole grains and more have to offer and not leach nutrients instead.
Jenny’s site is packed full of information about this topic and you can also learn more from Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions. She is the pioneer in this field who re-discovered the work of Dr. Weston A Price. You can learn more about all of this at the Weston A Price Foundation site (Sally Fallon is the Director). Specifically, on grains, etc., I’d like to point you to this video:
http://www.westonaprice.org/beginner-videos/proper-preparation-of-grains-and-legumes-video-by-sarah-pope
Sarah Pope is a Weston A Price Chapter Leader and also has a wonderful blog of her own which you can visit here:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/
Also, you may want to check out the Weston A Price Foundation’s information on how to properly prepare cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.) so as to allow for proper assimilation of nutrients and avoid hurting your thyroid. Learn why you should never eat these vegetables raw. This is especially important for children, so as to not stunt their normal growth patterns. You can read the article here:
http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/bearers-of-the-cross
You are to be applauded for wanting to purge processed food from your family’s diet but now take the next step to learn how to properly prepare nutrient dense real food for maximum nutrient absorption. Jenny, Sally Fallon, and the Weston A Price Foundation will provide everything you need to know.
All the best and continued success,
Mary
Hi Mary. Thanks so much for sharing. ~Amy
This cookbook looks amazing. Recently I discovered this gem tucked in between some huge chain restaurants. It’s called Farm Fresh Fast Food and it even has a drive through!! http://farmersroaddrivethru.com/blog/post/12/chadds_ford_live_farm_fresh_fast_food_from_farmers_road
I’m sure she could use a little shout out! Thanks for all you do!
I made some this weekend, and it’s wonderful. Not too spicy at all, but then I like spicy foods. I added a sprig of thyme and some fresh parsley just before the potatoes were finished.
I adore soup, and this is such a beautiful and interesting dish! I think I need to expand my horizons a bit and begin experimenting more with flavor in my soups. I am usually a “must-go” soup type of gal. If I have a lot of ingredients in my fridge on their last leg that “must-go,”…it goes in the soup. Always different. Always interesting. Usually tastes good, but not every time!
Yay for bacon! My husband I both love potato chowder, so I’m interested in this spinach variation. We’re not much for spicy food though, so I think I’d leave out the jalapeno and use some green pepper Tabasco instead.
This delicious, fresh soup combines all of the great features of a full dinner into one bowl.Yummy :)
This recipe seemed like just the ticket for dinner tonight. I didn’t have Jalapeno so I put in 1/3 of a bell pepper and a couple drops of a habenero hot sauce we had on hand. The soup was great. A delicate flavour with just a touch of heat. (I do love Jalapeno flavour so I will be sure to try when I have one on hand). Super smooth and everyone, including the kids (7,5 & 3) cleaned their bowls. Another great recipe from your site. THanks for sharing.
The soup looks so nice and creamy.
So you blend up the bacon?! I am wondering if it might be good on top as a garnish instead. What do you think, Lisa? I know you are a fellow bacon fan!
I say do it both ways! :)
I love potato soup but never tried it with spinach. I’m a big fan of spinach so I’m sure I’ll love this recipe!
This recipe sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it, though I will probably up the heat and swap out the sour cream option for a little garlic. I love potato soup and spinach…two of my favorites and really healthy! Plus there is just enough bacon to feel luxurious. I found an article the other day about the importance of including foods that you like in your diet: http://watchfit.com/diet/diet-plan-based-on-foods-you-like/.
Going to look for this book!!
How spicy is it? I always worry about my two and four year olds! This sounds delish!
1 jalapeno for 2 pounds of potatoes and 8 cups of chicken stock doesn’t seem like it would be too spicy. You could probably substitute with something else or leave it out if you don’t like it too spicy. I might try with a little more jalapeno for my spice-loving group. :)
Jill,
If you’re worried start with half. The trick is to remove all seeds, as Lisa directs. The starch of the potatoes and 8C of chicken broth are going to cut any heat substantially. Peace.
Hey Jill – Our kids didn’t say a word about it being spicy…as others have mentioned, the pepper is pretty diluted. – Jason
SOOOOOO excited to see some spicy! Can’t wait to try and review!
I love potato soup – this sounds like an awesome twist on the usual!! (Although I’ll be leaving out the bacon;) )
Thank you for sharing.