It’s been soup and stew season in our home for these past few wintry weeks. That’s fine by me; I love curling up with a steamy bowl of something tasty while it’s snowing outside. But this weekend I noticed that all of our soups had begun to resemble each other, featuring beans or tomatoes or both. It was like they all shared a common ancestor, and that ancestor was chili. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good bean as much as the next person, but a girl cannot make it through soup season on chili alone.

So I set about creating with a soup that was warm and filling, had a dearth of legumes and contained nothing canned (as I was loath to brave our icy front steps to pitch the empties into the recycling bin). The result was a kind of potato chowder with a spicy Indian twist, but nary a bean in sight. If you need a break from the chili this week, give it a go.

Spicy Spinach and Potato Chowder

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 tsp. tumeric
• 2 Tbsp. curry powder or other Indian masala mix
• 1 Tbsp. curry paste or Indian pickle (I used pickled lime)
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 3 large red-skinned potatoes, chopped
• 1 pint half-and-half
• 1 bunch spinach, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper

In a large pot, sauté the onion and carrot in the butter until tender. Add the next three ingredients and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly so they don’t scorch. Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to a low boil. Add the potatoes and cover, cooking until they’re nice and tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and the spinach, continuing to simmer until the mixture is hot and the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Add salt, pepper and extra curry powder to taste.

This would be delicious served with naan (Indian bread), or you can add a scoop of cooked rice to each bowl to make it heartier. Skip the Bean-o and stay warm!