Chilled Spinach Yogurt Soup
Submitted by BASIL
Chilled spinach yogurt soup with potato, dill, and a nutmeg finish. Bright green, tangy, low-fat, and ready for hot weather dinners or a cool starter.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
120 minSummer in a bowl. This chilled spinach yogurt soup leans on a Persian-Eastern European tradition of cold yogurt soups that feel cooling without ever being thin or watery. Sweated onion and a single potato give it body, vegetable stock carries the savory base, and a flood of fresh spinach gives it that vivid green hue.
The trick is to pull the spinach off the heat the moment it wilts but still glows bright green. Cook it longer and the color goes army-fatigue brown, the flavor turns metallic. After blending until silky smooth, the yogurt gets whisked in cold so it keeps its tang and never breaks.
Fresh dill and a grating of nutmeg on top do all the finishing work. The dill brightens, the nutmeg deepens, and together they make this taste like an actual recipe instead of a smoothie.
Kitchen Tips
- Stem the spinach properly. Tough stems leave fibrous bits no blender can smooth out.
- Cool the soup base before whisking in yogurt. Hot soup curdles yogurt instantly.
- Blend in batches and leave the lid vented with a towel. Trapped steam can blow the lid off a sealed blender.
- The soup thickens overnight. If it sets too thick, whisk in a splash of stock, milk, or even water to loosen.
- A microplane is the right tool for the nutmeg garnish. Pre-ground nutmeg loses its punch fast.
Variations
- Cucumber-mint: blend in half a peeled cucumber and 6 mint leaves for a tzatziki-leaning version.
- Roasted garlic: stir a few cloves of roasted garlic into the soup base for a sweeter depth.
- Herb swap: replace dill with tarragon or chervil for a French-bistro twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and stem the spinach.
Peel and chop onion - 1? cups.
Peel and chop potato.
Chop dill, if it is fresh.
Heat oil.
Sauté the onions on low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add potatoes, salt, dash of pepper, and stock (or water).
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Add the spinach.
When the spinach is wilted but still bright green (2 to 3 minutes), remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the milk and dill.
Blend in a food processor or blender, in batches, until the mixture is very smooth.
Whisk in the yogurt.
Chill about four hours.
The soup will thicken as it chills.
If it is too thick, whisk in some milk, stock, or water.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Serve garnished with a grating of nutmeg.
Comments
There is no milk shown in the Ingredients list, but is featured in the Directions. What is which??
Same question. How much milk?