Vegan Spinach and Pea Soup

For day 4 of Soup Month 2014 we made a delicious Vegan Spinach and Pea Soup that is packed with nutrient-dense vegetables.  A combination of leeks, onions, carrots and celery provided a healthy base for this soup, and the addition of spinach and peas turn this soup to a beautiful, and healthy, shade of green.

If you're trying to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet or maybe you're following a more "clean-eating" type of regimen, this is a great soup recipe to have on hand.  All of the ingredients are easy to find at your local market and the preparation time is just about 30 minutes.

Although this is a vegan soup, it's easy to transform the soup into something a little more hearty for the meat eaters in your family.  Adding a dollop of sour cream or even a sprinkle of chopped, cooked bacon or ham would be a great way to keep the non-vegans happy, too.  Enjoy!!

1-1/2 TB  Olive Oil
1 large  Leek, white part only, washed and sliced
1 medium  Yellow Onion, sliced
3 medium  Carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk  Celery, chopped
1 tsp  Salt
1/4 tsp  White Pepper
1/2 cup  Water
4 cups  Vegetable Broth
1 cup  Frozen Peas
1 7-oz bag  Baby Spinach, stems removed
Garnishes:  Croutons, Sour Cream, Cooked Bacon or Cooked Ham, optional

Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the leek, onion, carrots, celery, salt and white pepper.  Saute for 3 minutes, then add the water to the pot.

When the water begins to boil add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Add the peas and spinach to the pot and stir until the spinach is wilted.  Remove the the pot from the  heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (A stand blender can also be used.  Puree the soup in 2 batches, if needed.)  Taste test and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.

Add garnishes of croutons, sour cream, bacon or ham, if desired.