Cream of Spinach Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

I think I’ve said a gazillion times that I absolutely love the #TwoIngredientGame. It’s super fun to take two ingredients and figure out what to do with them. While I was traveling for Dining with DariusCooks in VA Beach, I decided to play the game. I took spinach and grilled cheese and came up with this beauty. It’s super simple to whip up and the crispy grilled cheese croutons makes it super satisfying!

Cream of Spinach Soup

-1 small box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

-1/2 cup of diced leeks

-1/2 cup of diced bacon

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-4 cups of chicken stock

-2 cups of heavy cream

-1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water

-salt and pepper to taste

1. In a soup pot, saute the leeks and bacon together in olive oil until the bacon is just about cooked through and the leeks are tender.

2. Add in the chicken stock and spinach and cook until the soup has come to a boil.

3. Then, add in the heavy cream and as soon as the mixture starts to boil, quickly stir in the cornstarch and water mixture. The soup will thicken almost immediately. Reduce the heat.

4. Cook for 2 minutes more, then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

-2 slices of good crusty bread

-2 slices of good Pepper Jack cheese

-2 teaspoons of softened butter

1. Heat a skillet over medium low heat until it’s warm.

2. Meanwhile, slather butter on the outside of the 2 slices of bread – then put the cheese in the middle.

3. Cook the sandwich on one side until it’s golden brown, then flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.

4. Cut the grilled cheese sandwiches into small bite sized croutons and serve with the soup.