Healthy Glow Green Soup with Crispy Leeks

Brighten up your days by adding this Healthy Glow Green Soup with Crispy Leeks to your weekly meal plan.

There’s something so right about sitting down to a hearty, bright bowl of nourishing goodness in the middle of winter. It’s like turning on a light switch inside your body – ready, set, GLOW!

I love soups. Any excuse to create a new version, I say. This one combines baby chard, kale and spinach. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, swing by and grab a bag of their Organic Power to the Greens.  Otherwise, any combination of similar winter greens will work, but make sure you have 6 cups worth because this soup packs in the greens.

Nutrition in Every Bite

A base of potatoes to give it body, an entire bunch of fresh parsley, and oodles of fresh winter greens means this Healthy Glow Green Soup with Crispy Leeks is packed with nutrition. It’s chock full of antioxidants and other vitamins, including:

• vitamin c
• vitamin a
• potassium
• vitamin B6
• vitamin K
• iron

I could go on. But really, doesn’t the color give it away? You can’t really go wrong with green soup. And the fresh parsley added at the very end is known to aid digestion and reduce bloating. Yes, please!

How to Make Perfectly Crispy Leeks

If you’ve never eaten crispy leeks, put down whatever you’re doing right now and grab yourself some leeks, turn up your oven and just sit there and salivate for about 20 minutes, because the aroma that’s about to hit your nostrils is like heaven in your kitchen. Crispy leeks have become a bit of an obsession for me. I toss them on salads, soups, polenta, pasta…hell, I eat them by the handful. They are such a delicious treat.

The key to getting the leeks perfectly crispy is to make sure you dry them thoroughly after rinsing them (and they do need a thorough rinsing because they trap a lot of soil). I like to place them in a clean dish towel after I slice and rinse them, and then I place the whole thing in a colander and give them a thorough toss and a pat to get them nice and dry. Let them sit for a bit if you have time. It’s essential that they be dry before going in the oven.

Once dry, spread the leeks (don’ layer) on a sheet pan and add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt (some pepper too, if you like), and bake them for 20 minutes in a 400° oven. A little toss with a spatula halfway through baking is a good idea to get them to toast evenly. Those crispy bits are the best!

Make sure the leeks are dry and spread them out on the baking sheet to allow them to crisp up.

Keep It Nutritious by Minimizing Cooking Time for the Greens

You’ll begin by cooking the base of your soup first – the potatoes, onions, garlic and vegetable broth. Once the potatoes are tender you’ll add the greens and cook them only until slightly softened – 2-3 minutes max. Then add in a bunch of fresh parsley and ginger and throw it all in the blender – I adore my Blendtec Total Blender Classic , which is made right here in Utah, so if you live locally and you’re in the market for a new blender, consider supporting a local company. You can also use a really good immersion blender that will get the soup super smooth – I have my eye on the All-Clad Stainless Steel Immersion Blender which gets fabulous reviews on Serious Eats. 

Well, it’s getting to be lunch time here in the Rockies, and the weather outside is crisp! I’ve invited my bestie (and neighbor) over for some Healthy Glow Green Soup with Crispy Leeks. Don’t you wish you were my neighbor? 🙂 Now go make yourself some soup! And don’t forget the leeks! Radishes optional, but definitely worth the added crunch.

Healthy Glow Green Soup with Crispy Leeks

Add a healthy dose of antioxidants to your meal plan with this Healthy Glow Green Soup with Crispy Leeks. Packed with baby chard, spinach, kale and parsley, you will feel healthier with every bite.

• Author: Jackelin
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 40
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 5 yellow potatoes (about 4 cups) diced
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 6 cups loosely packed greens including baby chard, spinach and kale (or your choice of baby greens)
• 1 bunch (about 2 cups) fresh parsley
• 2-inch nub of fresh ginger, sliced
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• kosher salt to taste
• 2 radishes, sliced into thin rounds

Leeks

• 1 medium leek, dark greens removed, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced again into thin half-moons
• drizzle of olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Leeks:

Preheat oven to 400°

Rinse and thoroughly dry the sliced leeks. Spread the leeks in a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes or until the leeks begin to brown on the edges (they should look crispy). Give them a toss halfway through baking. Remove from oven and set aside.

Soup:

Place a large stock pot on medium-high heat and begin heating the oil. Toss in the onions and cook until they begin to soften – about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute until fragrant. Add the stock, water and potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and continue cooking until the potatoes are fork tender – about 30 minutes.

Lower the heat and add the greens until the become softened – 2-3 minutes max. Turn the heat off on the stove, and add the parsley and ginger to the soup. Begin blending the soup in batches until creamy. Transfer the soup back to the stock pot and finish off with the fresh lemon and salt, as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with sliced radishes and crispy leeks.