Ingredients:
Stock: Cubes, bouillon powder, or liquid - just follow packet instructions to make it up. If you don't have any, just use water and add a little more seasoning.
Vegetables: Use up leftovers (cooked or uncooked), frozen veggies, plain uneaten veggies from dinner, anything on offer in the shops, or veggies that are just on the turn.
Taste: Add a little flavour with basic dried herbs (1-2 tsp will do), curry powder, or just salt & pepper. You could add creaminess with milk, coconut milk or cream at the end of cooking, too.
Bulk: Bulk out the soup with root veg, beans and pulses, which are cheap, filling and nutritious. And feel free to throw in any leftover cooked meats from dinner at the end of the soup-making process.
Method:
- Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan and chuck in a few handfuls of veg per person (raw or cooked, fresh or frozen or tinned). If using cooked/leftovers or tinned veg, fry for a couple of mins to heat through. If using raw or frozen veg, fry until soft (5-15 mins depending on the veg).
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Add the other ingredients, starting with about 500ml of stock (or water/coconut milk/chopped tomatoes), some salt & pepper to taste, and some optional dried herbs (like basil, oregano or thyme) or spices (curry powder, paprika, cumin or coriander all work well) to add flavour (these are totally optional, but if you have some on hand it can add an extra flavour boost).
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Bring to the boil and simmer until veg is very soft. Blitz with a hand-held blender until smooth (or leave a little chunky if you prefer it that way) or transfer to a food processor (carefully!) for blending when cooled slightly. Add more stock or water if it’s too thick – it should be no thicker than a milkshake. Taste and add more seasonings/herbs/spices if needed.
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Serve warm. If you are using cooked meat, add after blitzing the soup rather than before for best results. Pulses like chickpeas and beans can be nice to hold back to add texture, too. Similarly, if you are using cream or milk to add creaminess to a soup, add it at the end to avoid it cooking and curdling.
If you want to have a go at coming up with your own soup flavour combinations but aren’t sure where to start, here are some ideas:
Carrots and lentils, sweet potato and greens, tomato and red peppers, broccoli and blue cheese, squash and apple, parsnip and curry powder (with coconut milk), sweetcorn and chicken or bacon, cauliflower and chickpeas, celery and cream, leeks with white fish and a little milk or cream (leave chunky for a chowder-like soup), beetroot and coconut milk
…and so many more. Have fun finding your family’s favourites!
