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I don’t cook with white potatoes. At least I didn’t. Nutrient dense carbs are generally more appealing than starchy white tubers.
When I had to start practicing my knife cuts, I picked up a 20 pound bag of russets at Costco for $4.50. Why spend tons of money on something that is going to end up in the trash can?
Once the potatoes were sitting in my kitchen, I had a change of heart. Frugality runs in my blood – I coudn’t just throw them out. I went searching for a soup recipe that would satisfy my need for eating healthier.
A Not-So-Heavy Cream Soup
After endless browsing I found the perfect starting point in my own library. Moosewood Restaurant
The Result
My years of refusing to touch white potatoes might be coming to an end. They probably won’t make a daily appearance in my diet but as a once in a while food, I think they’re ok. After all, they’re considered one of the world’s healthiest foods and contain vitamins C and B6.
Leave the skin on for a more rustic soup or peel them for a more refined look. Using white pepper adds flavor without adding black specks to the soup.
Regardless of what you think about white potatoes, I think you’ll love this soup or at least find some culinary inspiration.
What are your thoughts on white potatoes?
This recipe is adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics.
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried rosemary
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 cups diced potatoes*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 6 ounces baby spinach, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup Neufchatel cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups 1% milk
- white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and rosemary, combine and cover. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add stock, potatoes, and salt. Bring to a very gentle boil, reduce to a simmer, add basil, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Use a slotted spoon to move about 2 cups of the diced potatoes to your blender or VitaMix. Add the spinach and parsley, cover and cook for a few minutes just until the greens are tender but still bright in color.
- Meanwhile, add the room temperature Neufchatel cheese, Parmesan cheese, and milk to the blender and puree. Add back to the soup pot, making sure to scrape every last delicious drop, and heat gently.
- Ladle into bowls and serve. Keep leftovers (if you have them) in tightly sealed mason jars. Putting them in pint-sized jars makes it easy to pack this creamy soup for lunch.
Notes
The more evenly the potatoes are diced, the better. An even dice allows for uniform cooking. I cut mine into a 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 14 inch dice.
Iris
posted on April 18, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I don’t eat them very often, but it has less to do with nutrition than the fact that I don’t like them unless they’re in a soup or doused with a sauce or gravy. I think they’re rather boring on their own. I’ll take a sweet potato any day! I do love creamy soups though, and this looks delicious!
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Lauren
posted on April 18, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Honestly, I love any type of potato. We tend to buy the smaller, thin skinned ones more often, but big starchy ones have their place too! This soup looks like a lovely way to enjoy them =D.
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Ali @ The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
posted on April 18, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Potatoes are just so darn good aren’t they?!
I prefer sweet potatoes and squash over potatoes too but it is hard to resist a really tasty & creamy potato soup! This looks lovely! 
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Walden121
posted on April 18, 2010 at 9:51 pm
I love potatoes. This recipe sounds delicious!
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Jenn
posted on April 19, 2010 at 2:08 am
Great looking soup, I’d never think of adding in Neufchâtel cheese! I personally love potatoes, we use them all the time – though we usually get fingerlings or new potatoes, and ALWAYS keep the skins on, even when making mashed potatoes – the skin adds more flavor in my opinion. I bet this would be a good soup with kale too instead of spinach!
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Amy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
@Jenn, I would have kept the skins on if I wasn’t practicing knife cuts. I love the rustic quality they give a soup. Fingerlings are next on my list.
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Hallie @ Daily Bites
posted on April 19, 2010 at 7:45 am
I prefer the flavor and texture of sweet potatoes, winter squash, and carrots…but white fleshed potatoes certainly have their place in my kitchen! I use them for oil-and-vinegar dressed potato salads, roasted to go along with chicken, or grated for potato pancakes. Most often I use sweets, but every few weeks I’ll throw in reds or goldens for some variety.
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Aubree Cherie
posted on April 19, 2010 at 8:38 am
I actually love white potato’s. I’ve recently started to eat them less though because I did start to realize they were more empty in nutrition than other things I could be using. I think what you’ve done with them are pretty amazing though – as a drawing board for other great nutrients! Looks like a very tasty soup
~Aubree Cherie
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Cara
posted on April 19, 2010 at 11:53 am
I wonder how I could make this soup without using dairy … any ideas out there ??
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Amy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
@Cara, Try veggie stock instead of milk. Blend the potatoes with 1/2 – 3/4 cup of raw cashews instead of the cheeses. Some people soak the cashews first – I have a VitaMix and don’t need to. If you have a blender that doesn’t have tons of muscle, you might soak them first to get a really smooth finish.
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gfe--gluten free easily
posted on April 19, 2010 at 11:57 am
That is a beautiful soup, Amy! I’m imagining the creamy texture and the potato and spinach flavors. I love both of those equally. I love all the onion in this recipe, too. I just had a baked white potato with some roasted chicken as topping for my lunch. I don’t eat them nearly as much as I used to though. If I’m doing baked potatoes for dinner, hubby gets a baked white potato and I get a baked sweet potato usually.
I’ve never used Neufchatel before, but it sounds just right for this soup.
Thanks!
Shirley
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Mary Bailey
posted on April 19, 2010 at 12:41 pm
ok, two things>
One: 20 pounds of potatoes for $4.50? That sounds like a culinary bargain, not “tons of money. ”
Two: Some potatoes are blue-fleshed, but most are white or creamy-coloured. It’s not like white flour or white rice, potatoes come by their pale colour naturally and are an excellent source of nutrition. No, I don’t work for the potato board but I do think potatoes take a bad rap. They’re nutritious, filling and cheap— eat the skin for even more nutrition bonus points.
daughter of a potato farmer
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Amy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
@Mary Bailey, I think you misunderstood the post or I was totally unclear (it happens often…)- I thought $4.50 was once heck of deal, which is why I bought them so I could cut them up and toss them out. Then came the change of heart.
I agree with you that potatoes have gotten a bad rap – and I did mention that they’re rated as one of the world’s healthiest foods at whfoods.org
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Mary Bailey
posted on April 19, 2010 at 12:42 pm
more
even better if you buy them from a local farmer not at costco, if you live in a potato-growing region, of course.
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Renee
posted on April 19, 2010 at 1:32 pm
When I intially read the post and thought about my potato usage I thought, nah, I don’t eat many potatoes. I think I have the same sort of feelings as you, that they aren’t that healthy. And in reality, I probably eat a lot fewer than the average American. And when I do buy a bag, they usually go bad before I get to them all. The more I thought about it though, they do have a place in my diet.
A lot of the Indian dishes I make have potatoes in them. My mom’s potato soup that I crave when I am sick. A Swiss chard with potato curry I make with the abundance of chard. When camping or grilling, potato packets are a great and easy side dish. Taco potatoes (taco seasoning with beans over potatoes with all the taco fixings), a quick meal. Broccoli and cheese over a potato. And the once a year potato salad for a picnic. During green bean season I like to cook little new potatoes from the farmer’s market with green beans.
But they definitely aren’t a weekly staple around our house.
Regardless, this recipe looks good. A nice combo with the spinach. Chard might be good too.
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Amy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
@Renee, Chard would be great in this soup, especially if you’re planning on leftovers. I’m starting to think my ‘potato boycott’ might have been hasty. Once in a while they’re absolutely fabulous.
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Jessica Meyer
posted on April 19, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Wow, that is a lot of potatoes for that price! I never think to shop at Costco and I have one close to my house! Do they offer a lot of organic choices? I love cooking potato soups, including white and sweet potato soups. They are a great source of potassium! A favorite guilty pleasure of mine is oven baked fries
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Amy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
@Jessica Meyer, Costco has great organic produce and many, many organic items. Their organic frozen broccoli is one of my favs for a quick go to side dish for dinner.
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Holly
posted on April 19, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Look delicious! I was inspired by your blog to start a 30-day challenge of going gluten and sugar free to see if that changes the way I feel. Your recipes make it seem like I haven’t given anything up by making these healthy changes!
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Z's Cup of Tea
posted on April 19, 2010 at 2:22 pm
This sounds lovely! I saw the photo and thought, “Mm, what’s that?” I have most of the ingredients, though I think I’d make it with coconut milk and forgo the cheese to make it dairy-free – although the cheese does sound good.
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Posy
posted on April 20, 2010 at 9:12 am
Love your site Amy! Have been working with a dietitian due to a recent diagnosis of ‘leaky gut’. According to my dietitian small new potatoes are lower on the glycemic index than the big white ones, so I try and buy those when I need them. Couldn’t make it on this new way of eating without you site, so THANK YOU!
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Amy Reply:
April 20th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
@Posy, My gratitude for the kind words. I hope you’ve been able to make some progress with your gut issues. Nutrition makes a huge difference, doesn’t it?
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Alta
posted on April 20, 2010 at 9:25 am
Glad to see you’ve had a change of heart for poor little ol’ potato! Potatoes do get a bad rap. After all, they’re about the only vegetable consumed on the S.A.D., usually in fried and/or mashed form, with bunches of fat added. This soup, on the other hand, looks delicious and healthy. I don’t eat potatoes super-often (maybe once every 2 weeks), but they’re great sources of Vitamin C and soluble fiber, and they’re even better for you if you include the skin. I’m guilty of saving my potatoes for days when I’m feeding the kids – they’re picky eaters, but they’ll chow down on roasted potato fries or baked potatoes. Reasonably healthy, filling, and cheap – they make the grade at our house.
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Amy Reply:
April 20th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
@Alta, Totally agreed! I made a fabulous (and so simple) potato and onion soup over the weekend and I think we’re going to have the leftovers for dinner. I call it Poor Man’s Soup because with a nice salad, you have a meal for two for less than $2.
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Walden121
posted on May 16, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Lovely recipe, thank you! I tried it myself, making a few diversions.
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Amy Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 7:58 am
@Walden121, So good to know. I appreciate that you took the time to come back and share that with me. Hugs!!
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Jessica
posted on January 9, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I just made this, literally just ate it! I love that I can have a cream soup and be GF! I added some portabella mushrooms diced and some celery (I really hate throwing away veggies, can you tell?). I also couldn’t find Neufchatel cheese (should have gone to Trader Joe’s), so I used cream cheese. I like the light flavors but I felt like I was missing an oomph flavor. I think it may have been the cheese? I’ll try to find it for next time. Thanks for a healthy creamy soup I can eat! BTW the portabellas added a nice flavor (I added like 1/2 cup of the baby ones diced). Added a rustic feel to it.
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Amy Reply:
January 10th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
@Jessica, Yes, this soup is yummy, Jessica. Neufchatel cheese is just light cream cheese – it’s got less calories and less fat. Maybe it needed a little salt and pepper??
Hugs,
Amy
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Jessica Reply:
January 10th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
@Amy, Yes I am snowed in so I had no way of getting white pepper. Today, sitting in the fridge for a day, the flavors were much stronger! I added salt and pepper (forgot the broth was no sugar added) and it was perfect! Super excited for leftovers. I’m single so when I make soup it’s good for a week or so. I did invite neighbors over for some tomorrow if we are still snowed in! Thanks for the recipe!
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Amy Reply:
January 11th, 2011 at 8:50 am
@Jessica, Whenever my food tastes a little bland, the first thing I do is add just a little salt because it helps intensify the flavors. Depending on the recipe, I might add pepper. If that doesn’t work I think about what flavors I want more of and go from there.
Soup is usually better the next day, anyway.
Enjoy the mandated rest of being snowed in!! So glad you have power and food.
Hugs,
Amy
Kate
posted on February 1, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Why not just make this with Sweet potatoes?? Or a combo of white and sweet? Spinach, chard, kale….yummmmm…
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Christianne
posted on February 1, 2011 at 2:16 pm
We have 4 huge Yukon’s sitting in the bin and I had no idea what I was going to do with them. Now I do. Thank you for that brilliant idea and for loving the lowly spud back to popularity, at least for today!
Thanks to my Evo I was able to check out the recipe while I was shopping at WF which allowed me to pick up some neuftachel. I have everything else in the fridge! This was meant to be
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