Creamy soup that’s low in calories? Yes! Pureeing potatoes or vegetables can give soup a creamy consistency without using actual cream. And for those of us tired of giving up yummy, warm, creamy soups because of their fat content, this is good news!

Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato dish, usually made from potatoes and kale, or potatoes and cabbage. You can use either in this soup rendition (by simply substituting cabbage for kale in the recipe below). To be completely honest, I think I prefer the cabbage.

A couple of very important notes for the cook:

Cut the kale into small pieces. Don’t rely on the wilting process…the kale will take way, way too long to wilt if the pieces are big. Yes, I know from experience.

Leave the center piece of the blender or food processor lid off. Cover the opening with a paper towel so that the steam can escape, but you don’t make a huge mess.

And as tempting as it is to turn the heat up, and therefore speed up the kale-wilting process, don’t. Cooking on medium-low to low heat avoids curdling the milk.

Yields: 10 servings of about 1½ cups each
Cook Time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp light butter made with canola oil
2 cups diced onion
5 cups potatoes (about 2 lbs)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper, black or white
6 cups chicken broth, fat free and low sodium
4 cups fat free milk
1 lb kale, torn into small pieces
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, potato, salt, and pepper, then cover. Cook for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add chicken broth and milk, and bring to a simmer slowly (about 25 minutes), stirring occasionally. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until a fork passes easily through the potatoes. Remove from heat. In batches, blend the potato mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the dutch oven and return heat to medium-low. Add the kale and thyme, and cook until the kale has wilted (about 20 minutes). Serve warm.

Nutrition Information:

Nutrition Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist…these are just the calculations I’m pretty sure are close to correct. I use BodyMedia to generate my information.

Calories: 132
Fat: 1.7g
Saturated Fat: 0.8g
Cholesterol: 4mg
Sodium: 463.6mg
Carbohydrates: 23.3g
Dietary Fiber: 2.9g
Sugar: 6.3g
Protein: 6.8g

Dietary Exchange: 1½ Starch, ½ Vegetable
Jenny Craig: Add 2 Meat servings for a balanced lunch or dinner.
Weight Watchers: 3 Points (using calculatorcat.com).