Cook Your Greens – Luncheon Lettuce Soup

An old-fashioned fridge-clearing trick for when your salad greens have earned some side-eye.

Jump to the recipe.

Does the idea of serving a salad feel like a bit of a gamble lately? You're not alone. A major Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce in the United States has sickened thousands of people, making it one of the largest recorded outbreaks of its kind in the country.

Given how much produce Canadians buy originates in, or passes through, the United States, it's reasonable to wonder whether our greens are safe. The reassuring answer is yes. Canadian health officials, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, have said that no Canadian illnesses have been linked to this particular outbreak and that none of the implicated lettuce was distributed here.

Lettuce, ready for harvest (1)

That said, Cyclospora infections do occur in Canada every spring and summer, typically associated with imported fresh produce. So, while Canada is watching this outbreak rather than living through it, the underlying lesson remains the same: raw leafy greens have one unavoidable weakness. They're usually eaten exactly as they leave the bag. If contamination occurs, there is no cooking step to eliminate it.

What is Cyclospora?

Cyclospora is a stubborn microscopic parasite that spreads when food or water comes into contact with human fecal matter carrying the parasite, often through contaminated irrigation water or soil during growing or processing. Because leafy vegetables are usually eaten raw, they provide no opportunity to kill the parasite before it reaches your plate. Washing lettuce may remove dirt, but health authorities say it does not reliably remove Cyclospora.

Cooking, however, does. Food safety experts recommend heating food to at least 70°C, enough to inactivate the parasite. That suddenly makes cooked lettuce soup seem less like a culinary curiosity and more like a genuinely sensible idea.

An Old-fashioned Solution

Which brings me to a recipe adapted from the 1950 Moffat Cookbook: Luncheon Lettuce Soup.

Moffat was a Canadian stove manufacturer founded in Weston, Ontario, in 1892. Its recipe booklets were once a familiar companion to a new range, introducing families to practical, economical dishes while helping them get the most from their new appliance.

This wasn't a recipe invented to answer a modern food safety headline. It came from an era when households stretched every ingredient and wasted very little. Lettuce that had lost its crispness wasn't automatically destined for the compost. It simply found a new purpose.

My own copy of the 1950 Moffat Cookbook, acquired at auction. Well worn and gently kept.

I've been making this soup ever since I stumbled across the recipe a few years ago, when my only objective was to use up wilted lettuce. It quickly became one of those dependable recipes I return to whenever a salad no longer seems appealing. I never imagined that a recipe from 1950 would one day feel unexpectedly timely. It is a delicious reminder that yesteryear's kitchen wisdom still has something useful to teach us today.

The lettuce melts into the broth, adding gentle flavour and a boost of nutrients, while potatoes and onion provide the substance that makes this soup satisfying.

Luncheon Lettuce Soup

Adapted from the 1950 Moffat Cookbook

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 40 minutes | Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 1/2 cups onion, sliced

• 5 cups stock (chicken or vegetable), or water

• 1/2 head lettuce, sliced (about 4 cups, loosely packed; iceberg, romaine, or butter lettuce all work, use whatever needs using up)

• 5 medium potatoes, sliced (about 4 cups, roughly 2 lbs)

• 2 cups milk (whole, 2%, or 1%, whatever is in the fridge)

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped

• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

• 1 tsp lemon juice, fresh or bottled (optional, but recommended)

• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large stockpot, melt the 1/4 cup butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.

2. Pour in the stock. Add a pinch of salt and the potatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

3. Add the lettuce and simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until wilted.

4. Mash the soup right in the pot for a rustic texture.

5. Stir in the milk, remaining 2 tbsp butter, and parsley. Heat just to boiling.

6. Stir in the brown sugar, if using.

7. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

8. Finish with lemon just before serving.

There is something quietly satisfying about a recipe that's nearly eighty years old still solving two problems that never really went away. It still does what it always did: cut down on food waste. But it also offers something worth having right now: a thoroughly cooked alternative when confidence in raw greens has taken a hit. Please enjoy!

© 2026 Canafete. The writing and original designs here are mine. You're welcome to share a short excerpt with credit and a link back to Canafete.ca. For anything more, including reprinting a full post, just ask: contact@canafete.ca

Further Reading

• FDA, Investigation of 9-State Outbreak of Cyclospora Illnesses: Iceberg Lettuce (2026) – fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-9-state-outbreak-cyclospora-illnesses-iceberg-lettuce-july-2026

• CDC, Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis – cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html

• CTV News, "No cyclospora outbreaks reported or tainted lettuce sold in Canada, officials say" (July 17, 2026) – ctvnews.ca

• Global News, "Where cyclosporiasis cases stand in Canada as U.S. parasite outbreak rages" – globalnews.ca

• CBC News, "The Taylor Farms cyclospora lettuce tests continue. Now what?" – cbc.ca

1 - "Ermosa", Boston or Butterhead Lettuce. Dwight Sipler from Stow, MA, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.