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For anyone from Galesburg or anyone who has ever stopped by, there are a few food items everyone always talks about. We used to have an amazing doughnut shop, a restaurant that is known for cinnamon rolls, and a cafe that has an absolutely fantastic Spinach Bisque.

I was in love with the bisque. To further prove my point, when I was in high school, we use to have a foreign language day potluck where everyone would be something from the language they were studying. Looking back, I am not quite sure how they expected 100 high school students to prepare food, but we always did. I studied French and every year I would bring (can you guess?) Spinach Bisque. The recipe? Frozen spinach, velveeta, and maybe one or two more ingredients. Thinking about that recipe makes me want to cry, like really. Spinach Bisque made with half and half beats velveeta any day of the week.

So, I found this recipe that was suppose to mimic Landmark’s Spinach Bisque. I wanted to make this a really special meal and I decided to make bread bowls to go along with the Bisque. The final product was amazing. I didn’t have cheddar cheese so I used what I had but still, this bisque was wonderful. Probably not the most healthiest (I will probably try something a little healthier next time) but the perfect meal to have after running around in the snow for an hour.

 (*disclaimer- no, this is not the Landmark’s recipe and if you read through the comments, you’ll see why. However, I still really love this bisque!)

Spinach Bisque
 
Prep time

Cook time

Total time

 

Author:
Recipe type: Soups
Serves: 6

Ingredients
  • 1 bag fresh spinach (5 oz), julienned
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup onion, diced
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cup half and half
  • pinch salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 4 cup cheese, your choice

Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot over medium heat melt butter and olive oil. Add onions and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Whisk in cornstarch- the mixture should turn into a paste. Add 3 cups chicken broth and spinach into pot and simmer until spinach is tender. Add half and half, cheese, and salt/pepper. Continue to let Bisque simmer, never bringing to boil. If soup is too thick, add the remaining cup of chicken broth. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve with sprinkle of Parmesan.
  2. Bisque is better and slightly thicker the second day.

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  • http://thezoeblog.blogspot.com zoe

    This looks and sounds delicious!

  • Lauren

    Wow! My mouth is watering…

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  • Ren

    Aaaah, it’s been many a year since I’ve been at the Landmark and I have been craving the spinach bisque there since. Come up with a recipe that’s similar to Cherry Street’s Mud and I will swoon. Swoon and promptly put on 20 pounds.

    I can’t wait to try this!

    • erin

      You know, I think the recipe for mud is easier than most people think! Galesburg actually has some classic dishes- I have a crepe post coming soon!

  • Amy

    I worked at the Landmark for years as a cook, and when I’m in Galesburg I always stop in to see Phil and have the bisque. I had to smile when I read the into to your recipe. Although I can’t betray Phil by posting the recipe, I will say that Landmark bisque has both”velveeta” AND half and half. it also has cheddar, parm, chicken base (I prefer”better than boullion”) and frozen spinach. No onion, no cornstarch, and no olive oil. Your french version was more accurate than you think. The above recipe looks delicious, but the thickness of Landmark’s bisque comes from lots and lots of yummy fatty cheese! Mmmmm, they also have the best cup of coffee in town, and I can’t resist their turtle crepe. Yum!

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  • Barbara

    Thank you! I worked at the Macomb Dining Co back in the early 80s. It was started by the same people who owned the Landmark and it seems as though every year during Lent I wish I had this recipe. Can’t wait to try it.

  • FrostingLover

    Living in Galesburg myself, I love Landmark’s Spinach bisque and have tried a couple different recipes for it. Recently, someone told me to use cream cheese instead of Velveeta. I found your recipe, which states “4 cups of cheese your choice” and substituted Weight watchers onion and chive cream cheese. I took it to a work potluck where many people are on diets, and the response was tremendous! I also used fat free half and half. I did wimp out and use frozen spinach instead of raw, but otherwise followed your recipe. The other comment was on how thick the bisque was – I only used 3 cups of chicken broth and let the bisque simmer overnight in a crock pot. This is a keeper! Thank you!

  • Heathr adams

    Hi, my boyfriend asked me to make a soup for his work mates and the first thing I thought about is spinich bisque. I was born and live in Australia, but my mum is from Galesburg and I was literally mid sentence about how good the Landmark’s bisque is when up popped this site. Thanks for the recipie hope I can do it justice.
    From down under.

  • Capi

    Hi Erin,
    I can’t believe I found your recipe and advices from Frosting Lover …. I was an exchange student in Galesburg back in 94 … and fell in love with the spinach bisque from Landmark … I tried to get the recipe to go home but fail to convince the owner:-) It’s been so long I am dreaming about eating it again such a delicious soup! I can’t wait to try out your recipe … the challenge is gonna be to find the velveeta cheese over in Belgium.
    Thank you Erin!

  • http://www.facebook.com/melissa.craig.716 Melissa Craig

    Made this last night and it was delicious! I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and it turned out tasty. Thank you for another great recipe.