Potato and spinach soup with homemade croutons

Ingredients
Soup:
10 small red potatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
10 ounces frozen spinach or 1lb. fresh spinach
4-5 cups low sodium chicken broth (or broth of your choice)
2 cups of water
parmesan rind-optional
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp herbes de provence
¼ tsp white pepper (or pepper of your choice)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp seasoning salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp butter

Croutons:
3 cups sourdough bread cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1tsp dried thyme
½ tbsp garlic salt
1 tsp rosemary, minced

Instructions
Soup:
Place herbs and seasoning in a large pot with 1 cup broth and a cup of water over medium heat and then, add potatoes. Bring to boil for a minute and then drop down to a simmer. Then, add the remaining broth, water and add spinach. (No matter if spinach is frozen or fresh, just add directly to pot.) Simmer all ingredients together for 20 minutes and then, add butter and cream. Simmer for an hour or two and taste, add more herbs or salt for flavor. To thicken, take 1-2 cups of prepared soup and blend in food processor, then add back to pot. I also have another tip to thicken soup, add a small amount of potato flakes used for instant mashed potatoes. (That’s why I buy them.) Rice and egg noodles would also be nice or mashed chickpeas.

Croutons:

Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheet with foil. Place bread in large bowl.

In a small bowl, melt butter and then add olive oil, salt, thyme and rosemary. Mix and pour over cubes, tossing with hands until well coated. Place cubes on baking sheet, evenly distributed, and cook for 5 minutes. Take out and flip, cook on other side for 5 minutes and repeat until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool. Store in airtight container.