Pureed Soup Recipes for a Blender

It's hard to believe how rich and creamy this potato-leek soup is even though there's not a drop of cream in it. Croutons topped with anchovy, olives and leek are a crunchy, savory foil to the soup. But skip them if you like and incorporate all the cooked leeks into the soup instead.

In this easy broccoli soup recipe, broccoli cooks together with onions, celery, garlic and fresh herbs and is puréed into a delicious creamy soup. Try this healthy broccoli soup alongside grilled cheese sandwiches or as a starter for a simple dinner.

A little fresh goat cheese and a touch of butter are just enough to make this spinach soup silky, creamy and a little nutty--but not enough to overdo it. We use dark green spinach for this soup because of the lovely color it produces, though you could use red-veined spinach and have just as good a flavor in a more Army-inspired khaki color.

This kale and spinach soup has a beautiful complexity. It's slightly sweet, with a bright note of lemon and the subtle aromatics of thyme, sage and garlic. Japanese yams are marvelously flavorful; they have a dark purplish skin and are snow-white inside. Ask for them at your farmers' market or grocery, but if they are unavailable, regular sweet potatoes can be substituted.

This simple tomato soup is perfect paired with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Make a double batch and freeze the extra for rainy-day emergencies.

This satisfying vegetarian, sweet potato soup is inspired by the flavors of West African peanut soup. We like the added zip of hot green chiles, but they can sometimes be very spicy. It's best to take a small bite first and add them to taste. Try chopped peanuts and scallions for a different garnish. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette.

A simple pea soup makes an elegant start to a spring meal. It's also a great way to use frozen vegetables when the produce section is looking bleak.

This is a zippy Southwestern-flavored black bean soup. We make it with canned beans so it comes together in minutes. If you have leftovers, pack them up in individual serving containers for lunch the next day.

The earthy flavor of parsnips goes especially well with fragrant pears, but carrots or even rutabaga work nicely in this soup as well. Serve it as a first course or as a light main dish with a crusty whole-grain bread.

This lemony asparagus soup is spiced with a touch of curry and gets added richness from “lite” coconut milk and creamy red potatoes. Top it with a dollop of crème fraîche or plain yogurt and serve warm or chilled.

Inspired by Spanish pureed gazpachos, this golden-yellow one is based on an idea of Greg Parks's at the Four Columns Inn in Newfane, Vermont.

This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.

If you like a bit of heat, use hot Madras curry powder in this recipe. Serve as a light lunch or as an appetizer before supper.

White beans pureed into this broccoli soup make it extra creamy so you don't need heaps of cheese to do the job. Serve with a crunchy whole-grain roll and a glass of winter ale.

This savory apple soup for two gets body from Yukon Gold potatoes and a touch of heat from paprika. Float some cocktail shrimp or a mound of lump crabmeat in each bowl to make it a main course.

Rosemary has a strong flavor, but offers only a subtle hint in this spinach soup. If you like, any seasonal greens you have on hand can be substituted for the spinach.

The yellow vegetables of summer--fresh corn, yellow tomatoes and yellow peppers--make this slightly sweet gazpacho soup recipe a beautiful and delicious alternative to red gazpacho.

White gazpacho is made with bread, almonds, grapes and garlic and is one of the traditional Spanish gazpacho variations. In this white gazpacho soup recipe we add cucumbers and honeydew, whir it in a blender and it becomes silky, a little toasty (from the almonds) and refreshing.

This easy gazpacho recipe is heaven on a hot day. Just puree everything in a blender and top the gazpacho with a drizzle of great olive oil.

This tomatillo-based gazpacho is gorgeously green with a tart flavor that complements the sweet shrimp and salty olives. Make this meatless by substituting ricotta salata or feta for the shrimp. Serve with: Cheese quesadillas.

Grill the vegetables for this refreshing soup earlier in the day or even the night before. We sometimes serve the gazpacho in clear Spanish wine tumblers to show off the rich color.

In this creamy radish soup recipe, radishes are sautéed and pureed with potato, creating a velvety, healthy soup. Cooking radishes also tones down any bitterness, while leaving plenty of sweet, earthy flavors to enjoy. Using smaller radishes will give the soup a pretty pink hue, like the one pictured here, while larger radishes result in an almost white soup.

This creamy parsnip and apple soup recipe has amazing flavor from the combination of curry powder, coriander, cumin and ginger. Be sure to use fresh curry powder when making this soup. Not sure if yours is fresh? Open the jar: the aroma should meet your nose immediately. Serve with flatbread or whole-wheat rolls.

In this recipe, the humble turnip is transformed into a rich turnip soup made creamy with just 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve it as a starter or side soup. The mini salad on top is optional, but we love the bit of texture from the greens and pop of flavor from the vinaigrette.