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I love spinach artichoke dip as much as the next person. It takes me back to my high school days. This is a healthy and delightful alternative inspired by the 90’s appetizer classic.
Artichokes and spinach are loaded with nutrients that help a person feel nourished, full, and guilt-free. This is helpful when the holidays (or any busy days) cause us to feel swept away with too much to do and too little time to fret about nutrition. This soup is made with allergen-friendly ingredients and flavorful roasted vegetables. I especially love that this is gut-friendly, allergen-mindful, and vegan.
Good to Know:
When selecting cooking oil for any recipe, it is highly recommended to pay attention to the smoking point of your oil of choice, and make sure that you do not cook above the recommended temperature of that oil. Exceeding the smoking point of cooking oils can cause degradation of the oil and produce free-radicals which are harmful to the body. I recommend avocado oil for roasting vegetables, because it has a smoking point of 520F while olive oil should never exceed 374F.
Helpful Products:
Roasting Pan: Nonstick Ceramic Stainless Steel
Immersion Blender: Good Better Best
Soup Pots: LODGE MICHELANGELO CARAWAY
Spinach Artichoke Soup (GF & Vegan!)
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup is a fantastic spin-off of everyone's favorite party dip, made with allergen-friendly ingredients and flavorful roasted vegetables.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 1 soup pot
- 1 immersion blender
- 1 roasting pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, adjust to taste
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 14oz can artichoke hearts, quartered chopped artichoke bottoms are great, too
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut cream
- 1 tsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese or cream cheese
- 4 ounces vegan cheese or Swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitas for garnish
- 1 drizzle olive oil for finishing
- fresh cracked black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Refer to the note at bottom of recipe for roasting vegetables before preparing this soup. Roast all the onions, celery, carrots, and artichoke hearts on high heat for 1-20 minutes to lightly caramelize them.
- Saute the roasted, chopped onion, celery and carrots with the (previously frozen) chopped spinach in avocado oil on medium heat until tender about 5 minutes.Add minced garlic and saute for one additional minute.
- Reduce the heat and add the cream cheese and coconut aminos. (Adding the cream cheese now will help it to incorporate more easily without lumps before adding liquid to the soup.)
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut aminos, and coconut milk, and grated cheese, stirring frequently until cheese is completely melted (about 3-5 minutes).
- Reduce heat to medium and puree with stick blender (or in regular blender and return to soup pot).
- Immediately remove from heat and serve topped with toasted pepitas, a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper, and a light drizzling of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Roasting the celery, onion, carrots, garlic, and artichokes in the oven before preparing the soup softens them and adds depth of flavor. They’ll be softened and have light caramelization, and they’ll cook faster once you put them in the soup pot for sauteing and preparing the soup. I don’t recommend roasting the spinach with the other vegetables, as the oven tends to cause browning of the spinach leaves, which would take away some of the vibrancy and flavor of the soup.
To do this, lightly toss the chopped vegetables and aromatics (excluding spinach) in 1 tbsp *avocado oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast uncovered in a hot oven at 400F for 15 minutes.
*When selecting an oil for any recipe, it is highly recommended to pay attention to the smoking point of your oil of choice, and make sure that you do not cook above the recommended temperature of that oil. Exceeding the smoking point of cooking oils can increase the degradation of the oil and produce free-radicals which are harmful to the body. I recommend avocado oil for roasting vegetables, because it has a smoking point of 520F while olive oil should never exceed 374F.
