Edamame-Spinach Soup

My husband woke up this morning with a cold. Between his cold, the rain, and the busy weekend I just had, I decided a yummy, simple soup was in order to get the week off to a nice, stress-free start.

I just saw this Edamame-mixed veggie soup recipe a couple days ago on Shelterrific. They had modified their recipe from the Edamame soup on 101 Cookbooks. And here is my variation, because I can't cook anything the way is says to in a recipe!

Edamame-Spinach Soup

1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, small diced
1 medium baking potato, peeled and small diced
1-2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1- 12 oz. package frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
1- 12 oz. package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3-4 Tablespoons half and half
salt and pepper

Garnish: fried onions and toasted sesame oil (or olive oil)

Heat oil over medium heat and add chopped onion and potato. Stir frequently--it will brown the bottom of your pan, but no worries!-cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add paprika, red pepper flakes, and smashed garlic (I like to leave the cloves whole so they don't burn). Cook for an additional one or two minutes, stirring frequently and then add your edamame, chopped spinach, and vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until you can easily smash a piece of potato with the back of your spoon.

Add yogurt and half and half and stir in well. Puree in food processor or use an immersion blender. (This is my favorite kitchen tool!) Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a swizzle of your favorite flavored oil and top with fried onions.
The variations on this type of soup are really quite endless.