Chilled Lettuce Soup

For the hot August days, try this recipe from member Alyssa Brin.

Try something different with all that lettuce!! This recipe is a great way to use up older heads of lettuce and ragged outer leaves that may have seen better days to avoid letting any of your awesome produce go to waste!

It is also fairly flexible and allows you to take advantage of what you have on hand. I already had in my kitchen – especially more of the items I had from The Root Connection!!  Note: all measurements are an approximation.

2-3 onions
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. sea salt
4 cloves garlic
1 large sweet potato
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2-4 heads of lettuce
2-4 Tbsp fresh herbs, if desired
sea salt and pepper to taste

Peel and coarsely chop the onions (because they will later be pureed, size does not matter much here – but do try to keep it uniform to ensure even cooking). Heat a 5-6qt. stock pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions with a sprinkle of sea salt and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to caramelize.

*Note: If you still have the stalks on your onions (I did), peel off the papery outer layer, thinly slice, and add them to the pot as well!

While the onions are cooking, prepare the rest of your ingredients: peel and mince the garlic, cut the sweet potato into ~½ inch cubes, cut or tear the lettuce into smaller pieces, and finely chop any fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, thyme, sorrel…the options – thanks to our awesome U-pick opportunity – are endless! Go with the flavors you like the most!).

Once the onions have begun to caramelize, add the garlic and cook for just a minute or two – be careful not to let it burn. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the sweet potato and stock. Cover and cook until the sweet potato is fork-tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the lettuce, a few handfuls at a time, stirring as you go. If you’re including fresh herbs in your soup, now is a good time to add those as well. Cook for a minute or two, until all of the lettuce has wilted. Remove from heat.

Carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, you can transfer the soup in small batches to a regular blender and use the puree function – just be careful not to add too much, and vent the lid a little bit to allow steam to escape, to prevent scalding yourself with any of the hot liquid.

Once you’ve pureed the soup, add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer it to a large bowl and chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator until cold.

I made mine ahead so that it could chill overnight – experiment with the length of time that works best for you (e.g., maybe you like the taste before it’s completely cold, or you’re using a metal bowl that helps to speed up the process).

I served the soup with a dollop of plain yogurt. Next time I will also try sour cream, croutons, cucumber cubes (“croutons”), and bacon. Garnish with more of your fresh herbs, if you like!