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When the weather cools down, it can be challenging to eat as many greens as you did over the summer. Salads simply don’t sound as comforting as a warm bowl of soup when your hands and feet are freezing!
So, this past weekend I decided to blend my leafy greens into a tasty soup. I was inspired by a soup that I tried last week when I was in downtown Kansas City, at a restaurant called The Sundry. Their soup of the day was a “spicy green soup” made with fresh arugula, along with potatoes and a splash of cream.
While they were pretty heavy-handed with the cream in the restaurant version, I thought this was a brilliant way to sneak more leafy greens into your day, especially in the colder fall and winter months. It’s not everyday that I “crave” arugula, since it’s a bit on the spicy and bitter side, but a warm, comforting soup is something I can totally get behind. Paired with potatoes, which provide a creamy texture without the need for dairy, and a splash of coconut milk for richness, this arugula soup is a delicious way to devour more veggies and keep yourself warm at the same time. The fact that you get a dose of potassium and calcium in each serving is just a nice bonus!
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Creamy Vegan Arugula Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1-inch chunks
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3 cups fresh arugula
1/2 cup coconut milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion and celery until tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one more minute. Add in the chopped potatoes, 4 cups of water or broth, and salt and bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and cover to let the vegetables simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Once the potatoes are tender, add the arugula to the pot and stir until bright green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth, taking special care to vent the blender lid. (I like to lightly cover the hole in the center of the lid with a thin dish towel so that the lid doesn’t blow off from the steam pressure.) Blend in batches if you need to.
Return the soup to the pot over medium heat and stir in the coconut milk. Season with additional salt, if desired, and black pepper and serve warm with any garnishes you like. I added an extra dollop of coconut cream (the thick cream found in a chilled can of coconut milk) and some chopped green onions.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 2 stalks celery , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound yukon gold potatoes , chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3 cups fresh arugula
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion and celery until tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one more minute. Add in the chopped potatoes, 4 cups of water or broth, and salt and bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and cover to let the vegetables simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
- Once the potatoes are tender, add the arugula to the pot and stir until bright green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth, taking special care to vent the blender lid. (I like to cover the hole in the center of the lid with a thin dish towel so that the lid doesn't blow off from the steam pressure.) Blend in batches if you need to. Return the soup to the pot over medium heat and stir in the coconut milk, which adds a nice richness to the soup. Season with additional salt, if desired, and black pepper and serve warm with any garnishes you like. I added an extra dollop of coconut cream (the thick cream found in a chilled can of coconut milk) and some chopped green onions.
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 169, Fat: 9g, Carbohydrates: 18g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 4g
Note: Although I’ve only tried this recipe using arugula, I have a feeling you could use another leafy green, like spinach , if you prefer. I think I also might add a couple carrots to the mix next time, so feel free to adapt this recipe as you like.
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Reader Feedback: Do you have any more creative ways to eat more leafy greens when it’s cold outside?
I just made this soup for a friend who has pancreatic cancer who is on a relatively bland diet and she loved it. I used Organic Girl’s Power Greens instead of arugula as I thought it might be too peppery for her and I added just a bit of plain protein powder. I’ll definitely make this again for her (and me!).
It’s lovely. I added green beans and frozen peas and lemon juice. Green soup is where it’s at!!!!
Delicious recipe! I accidentally added the whole can of coconut milk – it was delicious but slightly sweet. I will be making this again and again. I love your weekly detox plans (I have done the fall and winter ones so far) and adore your recipes. Thank you!
When my friends left their summer home in mid-Maine for the season they said to take as much arugula as I wished. I followed the recipe with two exceptions: This arugula had a lot of mature leaves, few baby leaves. I removed the thick stems. I dislike coconut flavor except in Asian dishes or desserts so I substituted 1/3 cup Country Crock Plant Cream that is partly made from coconut but doesn’t taste like it at all. Using an immersion blender made it easy to smooth out and everything blended beautifully, including the unpeeled potatoes.
This was a very successful recipe. My family and friends liked it. I froze enough arugula for several more batches this winter.
I was a little nervous about this, having never made soup from scratch before, but it’s delicious! I had so much arugula that I had to find a use for and this was the perfect solution. I swapped out the coconut milk for almond milk, and used an immersion blender, which was fantastic. I also used white potatoes because I couldn’t get Yukon golden ones. Overall, really happy with this recipe! Now I just need to figure out what to do with the excess celery 😅 a shame they wouldn’t let me buy just 2 stalks of it!
I love this soup and have made it several times. I always add an extra 1/2 pound of potato to thicken it without having to add much of the coconut milk.
This soup is my new favorite! It was simple to make, a great way to eat lots of arugula and absolutely delicious. My husband also loved it but decided to add basmati rice to it and that worked really well.
This is a great recipe, I’ve never made a soup with arugula, but I love the taste of it so this soup sounded perfect. Was super easy to make, I didn’t have a blender so I used a hand blender and just did it right in the pot. Can’t wait to dig in!