Health

Healthy Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup

This chilled soup recipe comes just in time for summer berries and hot weather.

Looking for the perfect antidote to the Washington humidity? Step away from the gelato, and try a chilled soup instead. One of dietitian Katherine Tallmadge‘s favorite uses of summer berries is this strawberry-rhubarb concoction, which is both sweet and tart and utterly refreshing. We can just see the Barefoot Contessa serving it at an outdoor dinner party.

It’s made almost entirely of fresh produce, so it’s packed with antioxidants, and has only a tablespoon of added sugar per serving.

Soupe aux Fraises et Rhubarbe (Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup)
Yield: 4 servings
Per-serving nutrition: 171 calories, 4 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 26 grams sugar.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 stalks rhubarb, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 generous cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup nonfat or low-fat vanilla yogurt
4 fresh mint leaves

Steps:
1) Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Use a pan large enough to hold all of the ingredients.
2) Add the rhubarb and sauté for about a minute. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 7 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender.
3) Remove from heat and let cool.
4) Add the strawberries, orange juice, sugar, and half a cup of yogurt, and blend with an immersion blender.
5) Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or until well chilled. When ready to serve, pour the soup into four small chilled bowls. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon of yogurt and a fresh mint leaf.

This recipe is adapted from The French Culinary Institute’s Salute to Healthy Cooking.

Katherine Tallmadge is a registered and licensed dietitian and the author of Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations.