Spinach-Basmati Soup with Yogurt

Ingredients (5 or 6 servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups minced onion (1 large)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¾ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic
• ½ pound (225 g or more) fresh spinach, washed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
• 3 cups water or vegetable stock (page 22) or low-sodium store-bought
• 1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
• 1 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
• Black pepper

Preparation

1. Place a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat for about a minute, then add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.
2. Add the onion, cumin, turmeric, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onion becomes soft.
3. Add the garlic and another ¼ teaspoon of the salt, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Toss in the spinach plus the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes longer.
5. Add the water or stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 10 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the rice and yogurt. Taste to adjust the salt and add black pepper to your liking. It’s now ready to serve.

Source: Team Yogurt

Copyright: © 2013 by Mollie Katzen.Excerpted from The Heart of the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation, Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.