Watercress And Basil Soup

Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(24)
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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 7½ cups)
  • tablespoons excellent olive oil, plus additional for garnish
  • 2scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1medium potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 3cups chicken broth, or more if desired
  • bunches watercress, stems trimmed to 1 inch from beginning of leaves, to yield about 2 packed cups leaves
  • ¼cup basil leaves
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

159 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 663 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

    Place a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in 1½ tablespoons oil, and when it shimmers, add scallions and potato. Sauté for 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add broth and 3 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until potato is very soft, about 10 minutes. Add watercress and basil, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender, and purée the soup until smooth. (If using an immersion blender, begin puréeing at low speed, to avoid spattering hot soup.) If the soup is too thick, add a little broth or water as desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle equal portions into bowls, and garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of olive oil.

Ratings

4 out of 5
24 user ratings
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Definitely too much liquid in the recipe. 3 cups total should do the trick but likely will not serve 4 people very much per portion.

So I wonder if the recipe should have read 3 cups broth OR 3 cups of water (instead of AND). Given the above measurements the comment in the last paragraph (about it possibly being too thick) seems impossible. Normally I don't change recipes (esp on the first go round) but with this I would definitely cut down on the liquid. We simmered it for 30 min extra at the end to concentrate it and added some cream at the end.

4/21 made with butter and finished with a bit of cream. Much less water/stock than noted on the recipe. A yummy treat!

I made this as a vegetarian option for a client , using veggie stock and all the stalks which soften beautifully and have a lot of flavor too. I used flaky sea salt and if you have an amazing olive oil this is the time to drizzle....

3 cups water is too much. I followed directions exactly then added more potatoes at the end to thicken abd amp it up

Made 4/5/17. Used 6 oz homemade chicken broth, 1 lb potatoes, 1 crushed garlic, 1 tsp oregano, and 1 sliced leek. After 20 minutes of cooking, I added 1 bunch watercress with whole stems and the basil as directed. Cooled in fridge and then puréed. Final touch was adding 3/4 c buttermilk in a swirl before serving. Delish cold!

Delicious and easy soup, great flavor! I did make two changes: I used a leek instead of scallions as that was what I had on hand. Also I only used 2 cups of water instead of 3 as there already seemed to be enough liquid. Would definitely make again!

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