I have one more soup recipe for you before it gets too warm to even think about soup.  And I think this might be one of my new favorite soups, which is saying a lot because I like soup.

Why do I like soup?  I like throwing a bunch of things into one pot and making a meal out of it.  It’s easy to use up odds and ends you might have, you can make a bunch of meals out of one dish, and there are so many different varieties of soup.  Stew, bisque, brothy, chunky, creamy, pureed, gazpacho, vichyssoise, goulash… I’m like Bubba from Forest Gump naming all the shrimp dishes.  I’m ok with that. 

This soup uses some not as common ingredients like leeks and fennel, both of which are in season right now.  It also has some regular old standbys like broccoli and zucchini.  Everything combines to make a really refreshing, light soup.  Which is what spring meals should be all about.  Oh, and there is lemon juice because I’m still not over lemon in soup. 

So, you should give soup one last hurrah with this soup.  And if you want to bump up the awesome factor even more, top it with my Smokey Roasted Chickpeas.  You’re welcome!

Spring Green Soup 

• 1 package of frozen broccoli, thawed
• 2 cups cauliflower rice
• 1 leek, sliced (about 1 cup, white part only)
• 1 bulb of fennel, diced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, more as needed
• 1/4 tsp pepper, more as needed 

1. Make sure the broccoli and spinach are completely thawed and all excess water is drained.  Cut up your cauliflower and make cauliflower rice and cut the leek, fennel, and zucchini.
2. Heat a little oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven.  Add the leek and fennel and saute for about 5 minutes, until they both start to get soft.  Add the rest of the vegetables and saute another 5 minutes.
3. Add the thyme, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Keep sauteing for another 2 minutes.  Next, add enough broth to cover the vegetables, plus another 1/2 inch above that.  Bring this to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover.
4. Simmer the soup for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The vegetables should be extremely soft, almost mushy which is ok.  Once the vegetables are all cooked, add the spinach and half the lemon juice.  Cook another 2 minutes.
5. Blend the soup until smooth and creamy.  You can use an immersion blender (what I did) or use your blender and do it in batches.  Once the soup is blended, add the rest of the lemon juice and taste to adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
6. Serve topped with roasted chickpeas or as is and enjoy!