Lettuce Arugula Soup

I know what you’re thinking … gross, right? Didn’t we learn as children that anything green tastes terrible? I thought this soup sounded so disgusting but yet, I was intrigued and had to try it. Fate laughed in my face as I fell in love with this green, creamy concoction. I always change up recipes to make them mine … so here’s my version of Lettuce Arugula Soup.

Of course, you’ll need some arugula to mix in with your lettuce.

Carrots and veggie broth round out the recipe, along with leeks for added flavor.

Cook it up, liquefy it in the blender and you get …

Lettuce Arugula Soup. Mmm, mmm good. Really … it is!

Lettuce Arugula Soup

1 tablespoon butter

2 leeks, finely sliced

1/4 sweet onion, diced

6 1/4 cup veggie stock

1/2 cup dry white wine (you can omit this if you’re a teatotaller)

6 tablespoons arborio rice

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 bay leaf

2 heads round lettuce, cored and chopped

3/4 light cream

nutmeg, freshly grated

3 oz arugula leaves, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat and add onion and leeks. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until veggies soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, wine, rice, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf with generous pinch of salt. Bring just to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add lettuce and cook for 10 minutes more until leaves are softened. Stir occasionally.

Let soup cool slightly then puree in blender until smooth (work in batches to make this step easier). Return soup to pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream and a grating of nutmeg. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until soup is heated through. Add arugula and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Note: This soup thickens when refrigerated. Add water, milk or cream to thin soup if it’s too thick.