Potato Florentine Soup

pattikay in L.A.'s Note:

This is a lovely soup from The Moosewood New Classics. I made it pretty much as written, but I think it has possibilities for other additions - maybe some carrots, or some ham or bacon - but it's very nice as is.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 50 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 7

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (I used Italian seasoning)
• 4 cups diced potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups water or 4 cups vegetable stock
• 10 ounces chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup neufchatel cheese
• 1/2-3/4 cup grated Fontina cheese (or parmesan or sharp cheddar, I used a combination of all three)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. in a soup pot, combine the oil, onions and rosemary.
2. cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.
3. add the potatoes, salt and water or stock and bring just to a boil.
4. lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes till potatoes are tender.
5. with a slotted spoon, remove and set aside 2 cups of the cooked potatoes.
6. to the soup pot, add the spinach, basil and parsley, cover and cook for 1 or 2 minutes till spinach is wilted but still bright green.
7. in a blender, puree the reserved potatoes with the neufchatel, grated cheese, milk and pepper.
8. stir the puree back into the soup and reheat gently - adjust seasonings to taste.

Reviews

[WI Cheesehead]

This is pretty easy and quick for a soup. I used half the spinach bcz of the kids and pureed everything together. They still didn't eat much of it, probably bcz of the "stuff" in it. I will probably adopt a couple of ideas from this soup to incorporate into my regular potato soup. I did like it. Thanks!