Potato Vegetable Soup

1/2 med. onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
2c potatoes, peeled and cubed (red, yellow, or white work)
2c low-sodium chicken broth
1c milk (use your choice, nutritional value includes 2%)
2c chopped fresh spinach
1tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil over med-high and add garlic, onions, carrots, and potatoes until onions are translucent but not brown. Add broth and milk, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add half of the spinach, wilt, and remove soup from heat. Cool slightly (I filled the sink halfway with cold water and let the pot sit in there for maybe 5 minutes). Once it has cooled a tiny bit, put half of it into the blender. Make sure you use half liquid and half vegetables so you get a nice, thick, base, but also lots of chunky vegetables. Puree the first half and then add it to the second half. Add the remaining spinach and the pepper, heat thoroughly, and serve!

You may choose to add other seasonings, but just using the black pepper really allows the beautiful flavors of the vegetables to shine. The spice from the pepper builds as you eat the soup.

This makes 4 hearty servings! YUM!

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SILLIANGEL.