Soup’s On! Hungarian Apple Soup

One of the reasons I love fall is because I get to start eating soup again. Yeah, I still eat soup in the summer, but it’s just not the same. Soup is one of my favorite things to eat. It’s filling, simple, delicious, inexpensive, comforting, and there are ton of amazing healthy options out there. When it’s cold, I eat it for lunch nearly every day. It’s also great if you are a vegetarian or are looking to reduce your meat intake–so many vegetarian soups pack a lot of protein for not too many calories.

Although I love opening a can of Amy’s, soup is also one of my favorite things to cook. Most canned soups pack a ridiculous amount of sodium, which is definitely something I’d like to avoid. And even though soup isn’t expensive, it’s really cheap to make it at home. It’s also really hard to mess up, so it’s great for the beginner! The best thing about it is that you can make a big pot and then freeze half. That will keep you prepared for those cold nights when you have nothing to eat for dinner!

So, that said, I’ve decided to start a Friday soup feature where we make our own! I love making soup on the weekends, because then it’s ready to go for the week! The first recipe I have to share is Hungarian Apple Soup, courtesy of the American Council of Exercise….I came across it when I was browsing the ACE Web site for study materials for my exam. I figured it might be a lucky thing to give it a try! And it uses apples, so it’s a great September soup.

Hungarian Apple Soup

(Makes two servings)

2 tsp canola oil

1 medium green apple

3/4 cup Yukon Gold potatoes

1/3 cup chopped yellow onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried sage

Pinch of paprika

Fresh ground pepper to taste

One 14 ounce can reduced sodium chicken broth (**Make sure you check the label and ensure the sodium content is actually reduced! It took me 10 minutes to find a “reduced” or “low” sodium one that had less than 25 percent of your RDI for sodium. SO ANNOYING.)

3 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream

Method

Peel and chop the apple….

And the potatoes. (One large Yukon Gold should do the trick.)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add apple, potato, onion and celery.

Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, sage, paprika and pepper; cook for 30 seconds.

Transfer to a soup pot. Pour in broth and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat, cover, and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes. The soup will boil down a lot and the potato should be tender when pierced with a fork. Add the sour cream.

Next you have to blend it all up! This was my first time using an immersion blender, and I’m pretty excited about doing it more often! This guy has been in our pantry for ages; it’s a large, obscene-looking thing. I think it was like $20 and it is so sweet for soup making!

If you don’t have an immersion blender, let the soup cool a bit, and then transfer carefully to a large blender or food processor. Either way, puree until it’s smooth–it will still be thick, but should be relatively creamy.

And that’s it!

The best way to describe this soup is,”Hmmm…tastes kind of like Thanksgiving.” It’s kind of like when you get cranberry sauce on your fork and then take a bite of mashed potatoes at the same time (aka my preferred Thanksgiving “technique”). It’s salty and creamy, but with that touch of sweetness. And the nutritionals are pretty good; in one cup you get 190 calories, 8 g fat (2 saturated), 5 g protein, and 3 g fiber. I can live with that!

I had the soup for with a hummus and veggie wrap, for a balanced meatless lunch. The soup is really hearty and will be a good comfort food in colder months. It will stick to your ribs but not your thighs.

Tagged as: apples, Healthy Cooking, healthy recipes, potatoes, Shed Kitchen, soup