Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup

Incredibly delicious and chocked full of healthy veggies, this vibrantly green Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup comes together quickly and can be served as a side or a complete meal in a bowl!

I've made this Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup numerous times over the last month and it's been a huge hit every time I serve it. I love that something so delicious can also be so healthy and super easy to put together. That's a win-win-win in my book and I think you'll feel the same way.

I spotted this beautiful soup on the Epicurious website. It's always a good sign when 99% of the Epicurious reviewers indicate that a recipe is so good that they would definitely make it again. I decided to give it a try and knew with the first taste that it would be a winner. I've had fun tweaking it a bit here and there, adding a few extra flavor boosters and it's definitely ready for your dining pleasure!

Our daughter Cait spent the night with us last night and I served this Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup paired with a green salad dressed with our Asian Honey Sesame Dressing. She loved it as much as everyone else has and knew that her family would enjoy it too.

As written, this soup is brilliantly verdant and creamy smooth soup, but it can also fill in as a complete hearty meal in a bowl with the addition of rotisserie chicken and a scoop of jasmine rice.

Warm, crusty bread or rolls are always a great option with soup. I love to serve this Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup with our Overnight No-Knead Brioche Bread or these Ridiculously Easy Brioche Dinner Rolls. The bread that's pictured below is our Brioche Pull-Apart Bread which pairs fabulously with this soup.

The topping options for this soup are really endless. I often serve the soup with a small handful of crispy onion rings (yes, the green-bean-casserole kind from a can) and a scatter of roasted peanuts. A handful of shredded red cabbage and scallions also make a beautiful, healthy and crunchy topping as do thinly sliced mini bell peppers in a variety of colors. If you want to keep things really simple, a scoop of creamy Greek yogurt is also delicious!

Great options for weeknights and/or dinner parties

This Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup comes together in way less than an hour, so it's perfect for a healthy weeknight option. It's also beautiful enough to elicit lots of "oohs and aahs" at a dinner party.

So put broccoli, spinach and cilantro on your grocery list and make a pot of this delicious soup asap! If your family is like mine, it will definitely go on your must-make-again list! Bon Appétit!

Cafe Tips for this Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup

• This recipe calls for green curry paste. Curry paste is a wonderful blend of spices, often including turmeric, coriander, chili powder, cumin, oil, garlic, lemongrass, galangal and chilies. The type of chili is what gives curry paste its distinct color and flavor. You can find green curry paste at most larger grocery stores in the international aisle. I use Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste which is probably the most widely available brand here in the U.S.
• This recipe also calls for finely chopped fresh ginger and lemongrass. I always have ginger and lemongrass paste in my refrigerator or freezer. I keep the ginger paste in my refrigerator, as I use it frequently. Lemongrass is not something I use on a regular basis so I store the paste in my freezer to keep it fresh and always have it on hand. I like the Gourmet Garden brand of these pastes. You can find these products in the produce section of larger grocery stores. Super Walmarts and Targets also have them available. (This is not a sponsored post. I just really like the convenience of these products and have used them for years.)
• I have made this Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup with and without lemongrass. The lemongrass adds another layer of flavor, but the soup is delicious without it as well so I have listed it as an optional ingredient since for some it may difficult to find.
• Curry pastes will differ in their intensity of heat so it's best to start with less and add more, to taste. With the Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, I find that 2½ tablespoons provides some heat, but is not super spicy. If you like things really mild, use less of the paste. If you have a spicy palate, you can always increase the amount, even after the soup has been cooked.
• Don't worry if the broccoli looks like a dingy green when it's finished cooking. Adding the fresh spinach and cilantro will transform this soup to a gorgeous bright green, right before your eyes as you use an immersion or regular blender to puree it all together.
• Don't care for cilantro? You probably wouldn't know it's in here since the ingredients blend together well to create a whole new flavor. But if you're super averse to it, basil would be a great substitute. Cut back to one cup though instead of two.
• An interesting fact about cilantro. Unlike parsley, cilantro stems are delicious and are the part of the plant where the flavor is most concentrated. I  just strip the very bottom of the bunch and then throw the rest in the blender.
• To make things easy and efficient, I like to blend this Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup right in the pot with my immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender you may want to consider purchasing one of these reasonably priced little kitchen workhorses. I really like this Braun MultiQuick 5 Immersion Blender. If you want to splurge on yourself or someone who loves to cook, this Vitamix Immersion Blender is an amazing option.
• As mentioned above, to make this soup a little heartier and a complete meal in a bowl, you can add some diced chicken. I use 1½-2 cups of rotisserie chicken for this. I also like to add a scoop of cooked jasmine rice to each bowl.

Thought for the day:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.
Psalm 91:1

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Abide

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.

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Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup

Incredibly delicious and chocked full of healthy veggies, this vibrantly green Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup comes together quickly and can be served as a side or as a complete meal in a bowl.

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Asian, Thai

Keyword: Thai Broccoli Spinach Soup

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Servings: 8

Calories: 150 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter I use salted butter
• 1 large yellow onion
• 4 medium cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 2 ½ tablespoons green curry paste I use Thai Kitchen brant
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth maybe more
• 13.5 ounces coconut milk (I use the light variety)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces yellow or russet potato (1 large potato) peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 pound broccoli florets stems roughly chopped and florets separated
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2 cups cilantro leaves (1 large bunch)

For garnish:

• canned crispy fried onions, roasted salted peanuts, thinly sliced red cabbage, slivered scallions, thinly sliced mini bell peppers, Greek yogurt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and butter and cook until the butter is melted and starting to bubble a bit. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes until the onion softens and turns translucent.

2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, green curry paste, ginger and lemongrass. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until nice and fragrant.

3. Add 6 cups of the broth, coconut milk, sugar, salt, potato and broccoli and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce to a low, steady boil and cook for 20-25 minutes until the broccoli and potatoes are very tender.
4. Turn off the heat and add the spinach and cilantro. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. This will take a little longer with an immersion blender (2-3 minutes) but makes for easy cleanup. If you use a regular blender, make sure to vent the top (remove the center cap and cover with a funnel or several thicknesses of paper towels) to prevent the hot soup from exploding and making a huge mess.

5. Taste the soup and add more salt, if needed. If you'd like the soup to be a little thinner, add more chicken broth and then stir well to combine.

6. Serve with any of the garnishes mentioned above or on its own.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips as well as how to transform this soup into a complete meal.

Calories 150kcal

Fat 7g

Saturated fat 4g

Sodium 413mg

Potassium 553mg

Carbohydrates 17g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 4g

Protein 6g

Vitamin A 2066%

Vitamin C 58%

Calcium 62%

Iron 2%