Life is all about balance. In much the same way I often chase a green smoothie with a handful of potato chips, I felt I had to balance out these ridiculously trashy brownies with something, well, a little more healthy.
Hence the soup. And not just any soup, either. A ultra-healthy soup made with edamame and spinach.
See? Balance.
Luckily the new Skinnytaste cookbook makes the healthy part of the equation that much easier, without sacrificing flavor.
We picked out this silky edamame soup recipe because it was different, and most definitely not your average soup recipe. Gorgeously green and undeniably creamy, paired with crispy roasted edamame for a bit of crunch. Never mind that it’s vegan, gluten free, and quick and easy to prepare… all that mattered to me was that it was full of flavor.
Let me say, Gina produced one hell of a book. It’s gorgeous, first of all, and full of so many enticing recipes I almost didn’t know where to start. I’m not usually one to seek out light recipes, but I know and trust her recipes will not disappoint when it comes to flavor. I know I’ve turned to her blog repeatedly over the years when I’m planning our weekly dinner menu, but now I have an equally trustworthy source in the form of her book, too.
The creamy (yet, shockingly, cream-less) soup is topped with a dollop (or drizzle) of créme fraîche (you could also use light sour cream), freshly cracked black pepper, and sliced green onions, making it practically look like a work of art. We served it with Gina’s crispy roasted edamame (because if a little edamame is good, more is better, right?) but it’d be amazing served alongside an Asian-seasoned chicken breast or fish filet if you need something a little more substantial.
And seriously, if you like this recipe, just imagine what delicious things you’ll find in the rest of the book.
Silky Edamame Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen shelled edamame
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onions, for topping
- 1/4 cup créme fraîche or light sour cream, for topping
- freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring until lightly golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, soy sauce, and edamame and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the edamame are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute more.
- Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender (use caution blending hot liquids). Return to saucepan to keep warm.
- Ladle the soup into 4 serving bowls. Top with black pepper, scallions, and a small dollop of créme fraîche.
Recipe from The Skinnytaste Cookbook.
All images and text ©Lindsay Landis / Love & Olive OilDid you make this recipe?
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Wow-I made this tonight and it was so easy and delicious. And wait to try it with the crispy edamame next time. I added a squeeze of lemon juice at the end just to brighten it up.
Didn’t change a thing and it is absolutely delicious. I grated some lemon rind and garnished with fresh thyme which I thought added to it.
Any thoughts on making this recipe with frozen spinach instead of fresh? ~thanks
Soup tastes pretty good but basically like you are just eating edamame beans with the flavor the chicken broth adds. Will definitely keep you from gaining weight if that is what it’s meant to do since it is a thin soup. Very Japanese tasting with the sesame oil and green onions.
créme fraîche or light sour cream = not vegan
Hi there! I had a terrible time getting this soup silky. The fibres in the edamame shells didn’t break down for me with my emulsion blender. I ended up straining the soup and losing half of it. I’d love to try it again without the shells sometimes. Just wondering if anyone else had this problem?
Thanks!
The recipe calls for shelled edamame. You’d definitely have a texture issue if you used whole ones, the shells are not edible.
Not vegan if you add chicken broth. Otherwise, it sounds delicious.
That’s why the recipe says chicken OR vegetable broth. ;) Either works here!
Part of the description for this soup reads as follows : ” Never mind that it’s vegan, gluten free, and quick and easy to prepare… all that mattered to me was that it was full of flavor. ”
I guess you can hardly call it vegan with chicken broth in the ingredients ???
The ingredients call for chicken OR vegetable broth. Easy and (just as) delicious to use the later. ;)
Hi,
This looks great. Do you know how many weight watchers points plus this is?
Thanks!
Amy
This looks amazing. I know I might sound like an idiot – is 12oz of edmame weighed before or after you shell them?
After. I bought a 12oz bag of frozen shelled edamame and used that. :)
from Al. & never heard of edamame . What is it & where can I get it
This looks so delicious! I love the sound of fresh edamame and a ton of green vegetables!
I love how simple this is- it looks delicious!
This soup looks amazing! I love edamame, but I never envisioned it in a soup! Genius!
This is gorgeous and I know I would love it! Vegan, GF, tons of flavor, easy, sign me up! Congrats to Gina on such an amazing book and you did this soup PROUD! Gorgeous images and pinned of course!
Wow, you know how to make my recipes look beautiful!! Thanks SO much for the review, and so glad you enjoyed the soup!!
yummi!!
Yuuuum that looks great! Yeah I definitely need a couple of healthy recipes to balance out all that Halloween candy!
Never tried edamame soup but I am intrigued. Fabulous idea.
Oh my gosh I absolutely LOVE edamame beans, I’d never thought to turn them into a soup. Such a great idea! I’ll add this to my must-cook list
Mmm this soup sounds goo-oood!! I love that you added spinach – yum!
The book looks beautiful!! Also, so does this soup!
I just got Gina’s cookbook in the mail, and cannot decide where to start! Thanks for the soup preview. It looks like the perfect lunch for this week.
I’ve absolutely never thought about incorporating edamame into a soup – and this time of year, I’m making TONS of soup. Can’t wait to give this a try!
I love soup and edamame–what a great recipe!
This soup is perfect. I have 3 soups sitting in my refrigerator that I made and this is going to be the 4th!
this looks so incredible!! edamame is one of my favorite foods, but I never would have thought to blend it into soup. I need this!