This is a really quick spinach and watercress soup recipe that works just as well as a dinner party starter as it does for the kids dinner. It’s quick because everything is blended at the end so there’s not need for careful chopping. The thinly sliced potatoes mean that they cook really quickly and it’s all done in less than 20 minutes.

 When I serve it up as a main meal, I add diced gammon or a poached egg (left over roast chicken would also work well), top with toasted pine nuts and supply warm pitta bread fingers for dipping.

Ingredients:

• Splash cooking oil, I use rape seed
• 1 small white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, sliced as thinly as you can
• 2 pints of hot stock, I use 1x chicken and 1x veg cube but fresh stock would be even better!
• Bag of fresh or 15 cubes frozen spinach
• Bunch watercress, approx 80g
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• In a large saucepan gently fry the onion in the oil until translucent
• Add the garlic and keep stirring for a couple of minutes to prevent burning
• Add the potatoes and the hot stock and bring to a boil for 8 minutes
• The potatoes should now be cooked through
• If using frozen spinach, add this now and wait until it has defrosted and come back up to simmering before adding the watercress
• If using fresh spinach, add both the spinach and watercress at the same time and allow to wilt for 2 minutes

 ⇒ 

• Whizz with a hand-held blender (I’ve been known to stick it in the Nutribullet once cold, to get it really smooth)
• Season with salt and pepper to taste -I often find that it doesn’t need any salt because of the stock cube!
• If you want to add toasted pine nuts, simply place them in a dry frying pan (no oil) on a medium, keep tossing them around as they will burn easily. They toast in about 5 mins but don’t leave them alone!!

Enjoy!!

Previous recipes: Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake, Easy Bacon and Monkfish Risotto, Hake in a Cheesy Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce, Chinese Salmon, Chorizo and veg pasta & Homemade fish (or chicken) fingers.

Click here for more quick, cheap and healthy dinner ideas and follow my blog for regular Kids Tea Tuesdays! xx