BREAKING NEWS: It is going to rain FOR DAYS in Arizona.
This isn’t a joke so please plan accordingly. Do not get on the road. We all know Arizonans don’t know how to drive in the rain.
Arizona may be the only place in the nation where when rain is in the forecast, it is the TOP news story. “Here we are reporting live from Gilbert, Arizona where we received an astounding 1/4 inch of rain.” Epic. Gotta love Arizona. We get a little giddy when it rains. All the kids run outside for a rain dance with no shirts on and teenagers post videos on social media of liquid falling from the sky.
So, since rain is in the forecast, soup is on the dinner menu. However, because my husband Dean has a strict “no soup policy in the summer”, we fit in as much soup as possible in the winter. I could eat soup all year long but he believes that it belongs only in the winter and summer is for salads and burgers. He may be right but I think this Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup can be eaten all day, every day.
When I was in high school, I discovered the best cream of spinach and artichoke soup at a local cafe called Cracker’s. Since I was a huge fan of spinach artichoke dip already, the thought of eating it in a soup made me happy. It was so creamy and delicious that it soon had a massive following.
This Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup is made by sauteing onions and garlic in butter until nice and soft. Frozen spinach is added along with spices and chicken broth. Artichokes, heavy cream, parmesan cheese and cream cheese round out the soup. How can you go wrong with that list of ingredients? Thank heavens there is spinach in there to balance it all out!
This Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup is absolutely heavenly.
- If you want to make this Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup keto-friendly, you can remove the flour from the recipe. The flour serves as a thickening agent but I have had numerous comments from people who say it is still utterly delicious and creamy without it! This soup will be perfect for the keto diet.
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced (or ¾ teaspoon Garlic Powder)
- 1 - 9-ounce pkg. Frozen Chopped Spinach (may use ½ of pkg. if you so desire)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Flour (may delete if you want gluten-free or keto-friendly soup)
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 - 14 ounce can Artichoke Hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1- 1½ cups Heavy Cream (depending on how creamy you want the soup)
- 1 - 8-ounce pkg. Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese (plus additional ½ cup for garnish)
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in frozen spinach. Stir often and break apart using a wooden spoon. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until spinach is warmed throughout. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in flour, stirring well to avoid any lumps.
- Pour in chicken broth and artichoke hearts. Heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Turn heat to LOW. Add heavy cream. Stir together. Add cream cheese and let melt slowly. You want it to be at a low heat to prevent curdling.
- Stir in parmesan cheese.
- Season according to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese shavings.
Now, I can eat this copycat version of Cracker’s cream of spinach and artichoke soup at home, cuddled in a blanket, watching rain fall from the sky in Arizona. Miracles to exist.
MELISSA – I made this for dinner tonight and WOW it was AMAZING! One of the best soups we’ve ever had! Michael just asked if it was from a restaurant and I proudly said “nope I made it!” This will be a new regular at our home! Seriously amazing! Thank you!
So excited about this recipe!!! I have loved this rainy weather and wearing coats and all of this Arizona (barely) winter stuff.
How much fresh spinach could I use? Sounds yummy!
I’m on a keto diet. I can have everything in this recipe except the 3 tablespoons of flour. Will it still turn out ok if I don’t use it?
I’m doing a similar plan as keto and will probably just add xanthan gum to help thicken it. I assume that is the purpose of the flour in this recipe and I’m sure the xanthan gum will work just as well!
I made this as a Keto recipe (just substituted for Almond flour) and it was SO yummy! And surprisingly simple, too! I will definitely be adding this to my favorites. Thank you!
I just started Keto and made this soup tonight, I skipped the flour all together and it was fabulous.
I love, love, love it.
Thank you for the Pin
Does anyone have any idea how many carbs are in a one cup serving, remember I DID NOT use the flour.
Thanks for any feedback
I love this soup although I did modify it a bit. I added sliced mushrooms, a shredded chicken breast (it didn’t need it and I’ll leave it out next time), fresh spinach instead of frozen, milk instead of heavy cream, and Gruyere cheese instead of parm. It was delicious.
Any nutrition breakdown on this? Look delicious!
Absolutely delicious! I’m doing the keto diet and made this without the flour. I bet it is that much more rich with the flour. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Delicious!! We added some smoke sausage and it was divine!
will this freeze well?