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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?
Loved it—burned through my arugula that was on the edge of fresh…such a delicious way to avoid waste.
I made this recipe just as directed (i.e., no modifications), and it was great! My family liked it, too. I will be making it again. Great way to use arugula if you want something other than a salad. Yum!
Would this work well with spinach? Thank you!
By the way I added chives and mint leaves which really gave it a great flavor
Very nice. Can this soup be frozen for future use
Yes, in my experience almost all soups freeze very well!
Awesome thank you! I added a few carrots and used gals spinach and absolutely loved it! Also used light coconut milk. So good!
This is a great recipe. I’d probably use almond milk next time in place of coconut milk. I used an arugula/spinach mix and my husband loved it. It reminded me of a pea soup and though bacon bits would be a wonderful addition. However to keep it vegan, I used umebashi (dried plum) and the saltiness of the ume was the perfect compliment to the soup. Nice work!
I made this soup today and it is simply delicious! A nice way to use up the extra arugula I bought a couple of weeks ago before it goes bad as I am not desiring arugula salad every day as I once was. Btw, I went ahead and dumped the entire can of coconut milk into the soup since I didn’t want it going to waste. It still tastes great and evened out the saltiness from adding a pinch of more salt than I should had. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
This was a great soup. I added carrots to it, as you said you sometimes do, and I think that they overpowered the arugula, even though I added a cup more than it called for…We really didn’t taste it at all. It tasted like a delicious potato/carrot soup, but that’s okay, because we like potato soup. Thanks for the recipe!
If you were to place this into a mason jar, how long would it last in fridge?
In my experience, most soup will last 4 to 5 days in the fridge!