Spinach-and-Cilantro Soup With Tahini and Lemon

By Samin Nosrat

Spinach-and-Cilantro Soup With Tahini and Lemon
Paola & Murray for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Angharad Bailey.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(2,168)
Comments
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The simplicity of this soup’s technique belies its depth of flavor, which is both vivid and complex. The soup is made bright with lemon and fresh with cilantro, but the secret ingredient is tahini, which is layered into the soup to thicken it, and then drizzled generously on top in the form of a gently spiced sauce. The result is a soup that’s both vegetal and creamy, tangy and rich. You’ll find it so tasty that you’ll forget you're drinking your vegetables.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 quarts

    For the Sauce

    • ¼ cup well-stirred tahini
    • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1large clove garlic, finely grated or pounded to a smooth paste
    • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

    For the Soup

    • 7cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
    • 12ounces baby spinach (about 12 packed cups)
    • 4cups roughly chopped cilantro (from 2 large bunches)
    • ¼ cup well-stirred tahini
    • 2teaspoons fine sea salt
    • 2tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (20 servings)

70 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 242 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    First, make the sauce: Combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin and red-pepper flakes with 2 tablespoons water in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more water as needed to achieve a drizzle-able consistency, and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Next, make the soup: Add stock to a Dutch oven or heavy pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in spinach, cilantro, tahini and salt, and return to a boil. Turn off heat, and stir in lemon juice.

  3. Step 3

    Use an immersion blender to purée soup. Taste, and adjust seasoning with more salt and lemon, if desired.

  4. Step 4

    Serve soup immediately, and drizzle with tahini sauce. Cover and refrigerate remaining soup and sauce for up to 1 week, or freeze soup for up to 1 month.

Tip
  • Because this soup is so simple, the quality of the stock really makes a difference, so use homemade or purchase some from a butcher. Avoid canned and boxed stocks if possible.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,168 user ratings
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Comments

Sally

@maria c: Cilantro stems are more tender and less woody than most herbs and actually contain a huge amount of flavor. For any recipe, not just this one, discard the bottom bruised part of the stems and finely chop the rest. No need to remove individual leaves from the stems!

Todd

So, the second time I made this, I added a couple of Yukon gold potatoes and then pureed the lot of it. The flavor didn't change significantly and it gave the soup a more satisfying mouthfeel and finish.

Leonard

This is a very healthy soup, but the nutritional info is wrong because it is based on TWENTY servings. Given that the recipe makes 2 qts, 20 servings would equate to approx 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp per serve!

brushjl

no sugar coating this. it's just bad, bland, runny gruel

S

@Dorothée colour issue is due to overcooking- the spinach continues to cook in the hot pot/receptacle. turn the heat off the pan a minute early so spinach wilts in residual heat. As for tahini topping - it's denser/heavier than watery soup so it drops. Reduce water in soup to make wet stew rather than watery soup texture if you get my drift.

Dorothée

This was very good. The only thing that did not work out was the color. Instead of the beautiful tender green of NYT, we ended up with a sad brown green. Suggestions? Also the tahini sauce just dropped to bottom of soup plate: add more water?

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