Cream of Spinach Soup for Two |Cooking With Amanda

I know what you're thinking — soup? In the summer? I'm here to say it's not only delicious, but also great served chilled. File this recipe away for the colder months, but also make it now in the summer, and serve as chilled starter.

In the colder months, you're going to want to use baby spinach from the grocery store; in the warm months, it's worth seeking out fresh spinach at the farmer's market. Or better yet, if you planted spinach in your garden this spring, it's time to pull it all out of the garden and make soup. I love to make this soup with fully-grown spinach because you can use the stems and leaves. This soup is a great way to get rid of almost 1 pound of spinach.

This soup relies heavily on garnishes for pizzazz. We've made it many ways, and bacon and extra cream drizzle is our preferred method. But, if you're serving a vegetarian, it's great with an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika instead. My husband loves this soup with extra lemon zest and grated aged cheddar on top, too. It's hard to go wrong with toppings.

I'm a big believer in the power of meal prep, and I love to make this soup on Sunday night and keep it in the fridge for an easy lunch, mid-week. I've also found the later in the week you eat the soup, the more toppings you'll gain as the week goes on — extra hard boiled eggs, croutons from salad, and sliced deli meat like salami really make this a substantial lunch for me.

And I also must confess my one-year-old devoured this soup. I scooped her a little ramekin of it, and swirled cream in a pretty design on top. Bacon can be hard for babes without teeth to eat, so I chopped it very finely and let it rest at the bottom of the bowl to soften before feeding it to her.

Truly, a soup the whole family will love, any time of the year!

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Cream of Spinach Soup for Two Recipe

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
1 small shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for garnish
3/4 pound fresh spinach
juice from half a lemon, plus zest for garnish
3 tablespoons heavy cream, plus extra for garnish
cooked bacon, for garnish

Directions

In a medium soup pot, add the butter and melt over medium low heat.
Add the diced onion and shallot. Cook, while stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent browning.
Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Whisk in the flour; it will coat the onions. Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the vegetable broth, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, and add the spinach. Stir frequently while it wilts down.
Use an immersion blender and puree the soup in the pot.
Add the lemon juice, stir, and taste. Adjust with salt and pepper.
Stir in the cream, and let warm through (do not boil).
Ladle the soup into two large bowls, and top with lemon zest, bacon, extra cream, and smoked paprika (or anything else you like!).