The Soup You'll Make Again and Again: Oats and Spinach in Perfect Harmony

Forget everything you think you know about oats. If the word only brings to mind a sweet breakfast porridge with honey and berries, this soup is about to change your mind. A spoonful of oats, toasted for a moment in olive oil, a handful of fresh spinach, a clove of garlic and a little Parmesan on top: that is all it takes to make a velvety, silky soup that tastes as if it simmered for hours. Two real superfoods in one bowl, a recipe made with oats, spinach, garlic and Parmesan, ready in 20 minutes and a delight every single time.

Even a Celebrity Chef Eats Her Oats the Savory Way

Savory oats are not a passing internet trend. Italian-American chef and TV host Giada De Laurentiis, known for her Mediterranean cooking, has said in interviews that she likes to eat her oatmeal with olive oil rather than sugar. It is a very Italian way of thinking: oats are treated like any other grain, the same way you would treat rice in a risotto or polenta, with good olive oil, a pinch of salt and, of course, a little cheese.

One of our readers had a similar experience. "My grandmother used to make an oat soup in winter whenever someone at home was feeling run down," she wrote to us. "I always thought it would be bland, a sort of hospital food. Then I added fresh spinach and a little Parmesan, and my teenage son, who otherwise turns his nose up at anything green, asked for a second bowl. Now it's on our table at least once a week from November until spring."

Why Oats Belong in Your Soup Pot

Oats are one of the most thoroughly studied grains in nutrition science. Their best-known component is beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that forms a soft gel in the digestive tract. According to The Nutrition Source at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, beta-glucan has been researched for its role in slowing digestion, increasing satiety and helping to keep appetite in check. That is exactly why a bowl of this soup feels so satisfying, even though it is light.

Beta-glucan is also the reason oats are often mentioned in connection with heart-friendly eating. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority have approved health claims linking beta-glucan from oats and barley to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, as summarized in a review published in the Annals of Translational Medicine. A randomized controlled study in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease observed favorable changes in cholesterol values among participants who ate about 70 grams of oats a day for four weeks, and a more recent randomized trial published in Nature Communications looked at how compounds produced when gut bacteria break down oats may contribute to these effects. The Mayo Clinic likewise lists oats among the fiber-rich foods worth including in a balanced diet, while reminding us that no single "superfood" works on its own; what matters is the overall pattern of eating.

Of course, one bowl of soup is not a treatment for anything. But it is a tasty, easy way to bring more whole grains to the table. If you enjoy oats in the morning too, try our Breakfast for better digestion, weight loss and mood, and if you are curious about oats' close cousin, read Barley: The Ancient Grain That May Help You Manage Cholesterol Better Than You Think.

Spinach: Popeye Was (Partly) Right

Spinach has been surrounded by myths for decades, the most famous being that it is an outstanding source of iron. The truth is more nuanced. As explained by McGill University's Office for Science and Society, spinach does contain iron, but it also contains compounds that make it harder for the body to absorb. According to USDA figures cited by HowStuffWorks, a cup of cooked spinach contains considerably more iron than a cup of raw leaves, simply because the leaves shrink so much during cooking.

Interestingly, according to Compound Interest, Popeye's creator actually chose spinach for its vitamin A content, not for iron. And that is where spinach truly shines: it is rich in vitamin K, folate, beta-carotene and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. A tip from the kitchen: a squeeze of lemon juice over your bowl, or a glass of orange juice on the side, adds vitamin C, which is known to help the body make better use of plant-based iron.

Garlic, Olive Oil and Parmesan: The Flavor Trio

Garlic gives this soup its warm, comforting depth. It has a long history of use both in the kitchen and in folk medicine, and the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that garlic is considered safe for most people in the amounts normally eaten in food, although the scientific evidence for many of its traditional uses is still limited. If you would like to learn more, read Garlic Water: An Ancient Drink That Modern Science Is Taking a Closer Look At and Nature's Own Arsenal: 6 Foods People Relied On Long Before Antibiotics Existed.

Olive oil is the base of the Mediterranean diet, and toasting the oats in it is the secret of this recipe: the flakes release a nutty aroma that gives the soup a richer taste. Parmesan adds a salty, savory finish, so you will need less salt in the pot. Sour cream makes the soup creamy and softens the slightly earthy note of the spinach.

Ingredients

• 1 heaped tablespoon of rolled oats per person


• a handful of fresh spinach per person


• 1 clove of garlic


• olive oil


• salt and pepper


• nutmeg


• sour cream


• coarsely grated Parmesan

Preparation

Briefly toast the oats in olive oil, just until they become fragrant. Add the coarsely chopped fresh spinach and the chopped garlic, season with salt and pepper and saut{-15447} briefly.

Pour in hot water until you reach the consistency of a soup and cook for 20 minutes over moderate heat.

Toward the end of cooking, add a pinch of nutmeg and some sour cream.

When serving, place a walnut-sized dollop of sour cream in the center of each bowl and sprinkle with a few pieces of Parmesan.

Tips from Our Kitchen

• For an extra-smooth texture, blend the soup briefly with a hand blender before adding the sour cream. Readers who prefer a more rustic soup leave it as it is.


• Swap the water for vegetable stock if you want a deeper flavor. In that case, taste before adding salt, since stock and Parmesan are already salty.


• Frozen spinach works too. Add it straight from the freezer and shorten the saut{-15447}ing time.


• Go easy on the nutmeg. A small pinch is all you need; larger amounts can overpower the dish and are not recommended.


• Gluten-free? Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they are often processed alongside wheat. If you avoid gluten, choose oats clearly labeled as gluten-free.


• Make it a full meal by topping each bowl with a soft-boiled egg or serving it with a slice of whole-grain bread.

Perfect for the Colder Months

This soup is a natural fit for autumn and winter, when we crave something warm, simple and nourishing. If you are building a cozy cold-weather menu, you may also enjoy Warm Water with Turmeric Against Winter Troubles and The Sunshine Vitamin Without the Sun: 7 Foods That Help Top Up Your Vitamin D.

Make it once and you will see why so many readers say this has become their go-to soup: it is quick, inexpensive, made from ingredients you probably already have at home, and it tastes far more luxurious than its humble ingredient list suggests.