EASY SIMPLE SOUPS

[ditzyangeluk]

Any ideas for EASY SIMPLE thick soup recipes?
(And I mean eeeaaassssyyyyy & simple!!)

[mamama]

Tomato & lentil

Something along the lines of:

Fry chopped onion & garlic

Add can of tomatoes

Add some dried lentils (a couple of handfuls)

Season & add spices if you like - some chili powder, tabasco etc

Simmer until the lentils are cooked (about 40 mins)

Blend with hand blender

Easy peasy and yummy. DS loves it and he's really picky!

You can add a dollop of plain yoghurt, sour cream or normal cream at the end if you want.

[Lorina]

Bacon and vegetable ?

packet of bacon

1 onion

half a swede

half a head of celery

2 red peppers

tin of tomatoes

mugful of red lentils

paprika


In a big pan fry up the bacon to be crispy.
Add all the chopped veg and continue frying for a few minutes.
Stir in the lentils and paprka and tomatoes
Cover with water and boil for about 20-25 mins
Check for seasoning and blitz to smooth

Serve with bread and its a really healthy meal

[MrsBadger]

we do a ham-and-lentil in the same way as Lorina, but rather than tomatoes we use the stock left over from poaching gammon - very good.

and winter vegetable - where you fry the onions and garlic, add stock, carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes, simmer till everything's soft then blend and season - is good too, and much improved by a handful of grated cheese just before serving.

[Kelly1978]

4oz swede,
i large potato
1 parsnip
2 sticks celery
2 carrots
1 large onion
1/2 cup sweetcorn

3/4 pint chicken or veg stock
garlic, and salt and pepper

Boil all the veg except the sweetcorn in the stock for 30 mins, then take half out and blend it, return it to the pan and add the sweetcorn, simmer for 5 mins. Then I like to add coriander.

Its very heathy and tasty, even though I noramlly hate parsnip and swede.

[Lorina]

Leek and potato is easy and yummy too.

Gently saute chopped leeks and potatoes in a little olive oil until they take on a bit of colour
Then cover with water and a stock cube and simmer until soft. Add a bit of milk and blitz.

Lovely with bread and cheese.

Knorr stock cubes are the best by a mile. I would use chicken unless it was for vegetarians ,then use a veggy one.

[lulumama]

broccolli soup

simmer broccoli and some peeled and cubed potato in water, until soft , add stock powder to taste , simmer and then blend......

don;t do quantities, tend to throw in as much as i want, based on whether i want to freeze for later too..

i use marigold bouillion powder and use the chicken on if i want a richer more savoury taste, which i also use if i make leek and potato soup too

stir through a bit of creme fraiche or cream befor serving !

[marymillington]

broccolli and stilton

soften a chopped onion and clove of garlic
ad a head of roughly chopped broccolli
some stock
simmer till broccolli soft
whizz
melt in stilton to taste
swirl of cream if feeling decadent

divine

also variations on leek and potato by substituting celery for the leek. or an onion for a leek and adding watercress at the end of cooking.

[ClosetSlob]

French onion

3oz butter
1 and a half lbs of onions cut into fine rings
1 tblspns cornflour
beef stock (I use beef boulion) I used about 2pints but it depends how runny you want it
salt & pepper to taste

1. melt the butter in heavy pan
2. soften the onions for 10-15mins until golden brown
3. add the cornflour and stir for 2 mins (add salt n pepper if required)
4. add about 3/4s pint of stock bring to boil stirring.
5. add the remaining stock and simmer for 30mins

(if you want to freeze do so after step 4) then defrost in a pan with about 3/4s pint of fresh beef stock)

Doesn't look great but tastes fantastic.

cheap too, if you only need to buy the onions it's serves 6 for about 60p

[mummyhill]

Carrott and Corriander

Again sorry I don't do quantities just bung it all in and cross my fingers iyswim.

Prep carrots
boil and simmer till soft with approx a handfull of corriander and an oxo indian spices stcok cube.
Whizz it in the liquidizer and add some double cream before serving.

[deaconblue]

Delia roasted tomato.
Roast tomatoes with garlic, basil and olive oil
Boil a chopped up potato til soft with blob of tomato puree.
Mix potato, potato water and tomatoes and blend.
I reckon for a thicker soup something like canelini (SP?) beans would be tasty in it.

[ditzyangeluk]

Many thanx for all those ... keep 'em coming. Going to try these one by one! Many thanx again!

[mummyhill]

I tried the brocoli and stilton today and it was lovely. I will try some of the other recepies when the kids give me time to get in the kitchen.

[HandyTrinkett]

Roasted Pepper and Tomato..

Not a really thick soup but I guess some additional simmering or adding a starchy something like a potato might do the job..

1Kg tomotoes
2 red peppers
2 red onion
garlic
basil
some brown sugar

1 litre veg stock

halve tomatoes and pepper
slice red onions

place tomatoes and pepper cut side up in oven tray, cover with sliced onions and sprinkle with brown sugar. Generous drizzle of olive oil over the top. Roast for 30-40 mins in the oven.

Take out, chuck in saucepan and add stock. Simmer for a while (up to you how long but I generally simmer for around an hour on a VERY low heat)

Blend

Eat..

[Emskilou]

I made this on Friday, was yummy and even my dcs (dd age 2 and ds 11 months) loved it!!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 x 2kg (4.4lb) butternut squash (quartered lengthways)
1 tbsp groundnut oil
3 Med onions sliced
50g (2ozs) Butter
2 lg crushed garlic cloves (I used 2 tsps of lazy garlic from the jar )
1.5 lt (2.5 pints) Chicken Stock
500 ml (18 floz) Milk
Nutmeg
salt and pepper
OPTIONAL EXTRAS (I didnt add the cheese for me but my nan loved it!)
200g (8 ozs) Gruyere or matured cheddar cubed
200ml (7flozs) Creme fraiche (I added that to mine is was loverly!)

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/GM4

1. Remove seeds from squash cover with the oil (easiest done with hands, bit messy less faffing though), put onto baking tray roast for 40 mins.

1. In large saucepan fry onions in butter until golden, add the garlic fry for another few minutes then add the stock. Bring to the boils then allow to simmer for 20 mins.

1. When the squash are cooked allow them to cool (I didnt but was just a bit careful when I was scooping out the fleshy bit) then scoop out the flesh and put into the stock, bring to the boil again then simmer for 20 mins.

1. Remove from the heat and liquidize well until velvety smooth.

1. Return to the heat and add the milk and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

OPTIONAL BIT

1. When ready to eat divid the cubed cheese between the bowls, pour over the soup and add a generous spoonful of creme fraiche.

Et voila!! Yummy soup, still have some left today, mmmmmm might go have some now!!!

[SnafuOutOfHiding]

Here's a little something I made earlier...

Spicy Carrot and Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

(makes 6-8 portions)

Carrots (5 large ones)
Sweet potato (1 large one)
Celery (2 sticks)
1 onion
couple of cloves of garlic
Veg stock (marigold bouillon is good, otherwise a stock cube!)
Cream
Herbs and spices - I use cumin, coriander, etc - anything to give a nice spicy warmth

Peel and chop sweet potato, drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven until golden.
Gently fry onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add spices.
Add carrots, sweet potato and stock.
Simmer until everything is soft.
Blitz, add cream, season to taste.

[lapinrose]

The easiest thing to do is to cook your veg in stock rather than water then blend it and see how it tastes, add ginger, garam masala etc to root veg to pep it up a bit or cream/yogurt

Leek & pot soup - sweat 3 sliced leeks and 2 cubed medium pots and a chopped onion in butter for 20 mins then add about 3/4litre stock and simmer for a further 20 then blend, add s/p to taste - delia (abridged!)

the book people had the New Covent Garden Soup Co book on offer recently, bargain and fab!

[deaconblue]

The buttternut squash one is really nice with some toasted sweetcorn in it too.