Pack Pantry: Power Green Soup

Knock on wood, we haven’t gotten seriously sick in quite some time. We truly believe that our healthier diet and lifestyle has kept us cold and flu free. It’s easy to take for granted the power our food can have in our bodies and that certain ingredients have been used for hundreds of years as medicinal tools for better living.

I threw together this recipe in the midst of cold and flu season one weekend when I was feeling extra tired and was beginning to get sinus pressure headaches. So many of my coworkers and family members were congested, sneezing, and coughing and I had no intention of joining in. I did a bit of research to find the best ingredients to keep sickness at bay and threw them all together into this delicious soup. Ingredients like garlic, ginger, and lemon are all known for their medicinal benefits and we’ll dig deeper into how each is powerful in its own right in future blogs.

It is so easy to make this soup and it’s full of so many powerful ingredients that you’ll be wanting to make it year round. Although an immersion blender is really helpful for part of the preparation, a food processor or blender can do the trick as well. Share with us your favorite cold fighting meals and pictures of your Power Green Soup with the hashtag #TWWPackPantry on Instagram and Facebook.

Ingredients:

• 5oz of spinach
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 10 sage leaves (minced)
• 1 Inch of ginger (minced)
• 1/4 tsp of dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp of paprika
• 2 Tbsp of butter
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 of parmesan
• Chopped bacon (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare your ingredients by mincing the garlic, sage, and ginger. Chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Prepare 4 cups of chicken broth – we normally use 1 bullion cube dissolved into one cup of hot water. You will need 4 bullion cubes for this recipe.
2. Using a large pot, melt the 2 Tbsp of butter at a medium heat. Once melted, add in your minced garlic, sage, and ginger and saute for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add chopped spinach into the pot and saute until wilted. Pour in 4 cups of chicken broth, paprika, and rosemary. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and insert the immersion blender to puree the soup (this is where the tall walls of a larger pot come in handy to avoid splashing!)
5. Place the pot back on medium heat and add the parmesan, mixing through. Add in lemon juice as well as salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour soup into bowls and top with parmesan and chopped bacon.
7. Enjoy!