I’m sorry. I’m sorry that it’s the very end of August, and I only discovered this soup last week. It was in an old issue of Better Homes & Gardens that was on the coffee table at the beach house we rented in Rhode Island. I had a hunch it would be delicious, so I copied it onto a scrap of paper and made it the first day we were home.

My suspicions were correct. This soup is amazing. We should have been eating it all summer long, and now it’s almost too late. It’s practically fall. I was in Stop & Shop yesterday, and there were displays of pumpkin spice oatmeal, pumpkin spice Frosted Mini-Wheats, and pumpkin spice Chobani greek yogurt (full disclosure: I bought one).

It’s happening.

So, hurry! You’ve got a week—maybe two—where it’s still socially acceptable to make and serve this. After that, you’re practically required to pack up all your cold soup recipes along with your white pants and espadrilles. The world is moving on to apple cider and butternut squash, and you’d better get on the bus.

I’ve made versions of chilled avocado soup before, but they were always kind of ho-hum. They never tasted like much unless you added a ton of jalapeño and lime, and then why don’t we just have guacamole? This soup has so much more going on: spinach, cucumber, and celery lighten it up and give it a really bright, refreshing taste. The not-so-secret ingredient is store-bought salsa verde, which adds of loads of flavor and a nice little kick of heat.

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Spinach Avocado Soup with Salsa Verde

I used Trader Joe's salsa verde, but any brand will work. Even though the soup is blended with ice, you can make it ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Servings 4

Author Turnip the Oven

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
• 1/2 large English cucumber about 2 cups, diced , plus more for serving
• 3 stalks celery about 1 heaping cup, diced
• 2/3 cup bottled salsa verde
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup cold water

Instructions

1. Peel and pit the avocados. Transfer 1 1/2 avocados to a food processor (chop the other 1/2 and set aside for garnish).
2. Add the spinach, cucumber, celery, salsa verde, lime juice, salt, ice, and water to the food processor and process until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
3. Serve the soup garnished with diced cucumber and avocado.