Name: Spinach & Cilantro Soup with Lemon & Tahini
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini; 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 large garlic clove, finely grated; 3/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons water (plus more if needed, for consistency); 7 cups broth or stock; 12 ounces baby spinach (12 packed cups); 4 cups roughly chopped cilantro (from two large bunches); 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini; 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; Salt to taste

Scale

Ingredients

SAUCE:

1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water (plus more if needed, for consistency)

SOUP:

7 cups broth or stock
12 ounces baby spinach (12 packed cups)
4 cups roughly chopped cilantro (from two large bunches)
1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste

Instructions

Make the sauce: Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin and red-pepper flakes with two tablespoons water in a small bowl. Add more water as needed until you get a drizzly consistency. Set aside.
Make the soup: Trim the very ends of the cilantro stems, then roughly chop both bunches. No need to pluck the leaves! Cilantro stems have great flavor. Add stock or broth to a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Stir in spinach, cilantro, tahini and return to a boil. Add a pinch of salt here too, unless your broth was already pretty salty, like mine. Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice.
Blend. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more lemon, if desired.
Serve. Serve 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.

Notes

I’ve recently learned what really good tahini tastes like after finding my supermarket variety to be a bit too bitter. I’m obsessed with Soon tahini right now. It’s luxurious in texture and taste. And women owned, too!