Spinach and carrot soup

With a baby and a toddler in the house, I have learned that dinner victories come in bowls. This spinach and carrot soup is my grandmother’s recipe — she was legendary for her soups, like most Portuguese grandmothers — and it has never once failed me with my little ones.

Soup is genuinely great food for small children: no chewing battles, plenty of nutrients, and a gentle way to introduce new flavors. In Portugal, vegetable soup starts appearing on children’s menus almost as soon as they start solids — it is a national parenting strategy.

This one is as simple as they come: onion and garlic in olive oil, carrots simmered soft, spinach folded in at the end, everything blended smooth. Seven ingredients, thirty minutes, zero complaints at the table.

Spinach and Carrot Soup Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 20 minutes · Total: 30 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~132 per serving

Ingredients

• 5 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot and cook the onion and garlic until soft.
2. Add the water and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 20 minutes.
3. When the carrots are tender, add the spinach and cook 2 minutes more.
4. Off the heat, blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

• Cooked chicken, lentils or rice make it a fuller meal; thyme or cumin change its character nicely.
• A swirl of cream or coconut milk makes it silkier; croutons on top for the grown-ups.
• For babies, keep the salt minimal (or omit it) and blend extra smooth.
• It freezes well in small portions — my favorite kind of insurance policy.