Please help me fix my soup!

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Posting here for traffic because I need a quick answer.

I made a vegetable soup yesterday (potato, sweet potato, carrot, leek, swede, parsnip, leek, beetroot and lentils) but it tastes like baby food and I don't know how to fix it.

I made the same thing last week (using the same frozen veg mix) but without leeks and with more beetroot, and it tasted much more like proper food. I've added more beetroot in today in the hopes that it will make it better, but I doubt it'll be enough to fix it.

Any ideas?

Have you added any garlic or herbs?

Part of the problem could be that a lot of your ingredients are very bland, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips so you've got little flavour in there.

Chuck some chilli flakes in to spice it up, sounds very bland. Also salt and black pepper

Is there any onion in it?
If not, chop up a couple, gently fry, don't burn them, then add to your soup.

Chicken stock cubes?

Touch of strong cheese? Blue cheese?

A bit of salt (if you haven't already), lots of black pepper, maybe some cumin and garlic and a bit of lime or lemon juice. Maybe worcester sauce.

A lot of those veg are quite sweet too. It probably needs a savoury element.
I'd soften down some garlic and onions and add those.

No garlic, herbs or anion, but there wasn't last week either.
I've seasoned it, but don't want to add any more salt to it as it's for a family a work for and I have to keep the salt levels low for the kids - kids are also the reason I can't add chilli.
I was hoping the leek would be oniony enough, but maybe I'll add an onion in.
It's definitely not bland, it's quite tasty, just has that distinct baby food kind of taste to it. If that makes sense.
Thanks for the tips

Is the consistency a bit thick and grainy? That reminds me of babyfood. You could mix a touch of cream in. Or else thin with water and blend for longer.

Or drop a few chunks of strong cheddar on in when you serve, or crispy pancetta.

I have mixed success with homemade soup so I sympathise! Maybe you could just chuck some croutons on top to perk it up? Or slices of toasted baguette with melted cheese on if you’re feeling creative. Or just some grated Parmesan?

Stock or cook some sausages in it.

It's not thick and grainy. It's definitely something about the taste, rather than the texture that's baby food-like.
Adding onion and garlic now, and added a dash of Worcestershire sauce

One of the kids is dairy free, too, so no cream or cheese

I don't like raw celery but got to admit a stick of it chopped and added to soup ingredients does help flavour.
Or try adding thyme or a bay leaf.

Low sodium stock x

Ok, so it doesn't taste like baby food now, but it's become more bland 🙄
It's not awful, though, and the kids seem to like it, so the parents will just have to make themselves something instead 😁
Thanks for all the help. I'll definitely try some more of them out next time!

Put two portions in another pan and add chilli flakes to it for the parents?

You definitely need stock of some sort in soups I find!

What was the base stock that you used? A lot of the flavour of soup comes from using a good stock.

It will be missing salt, it's always salt when there's a problem with soup.

Also put a knob of butter in it

Ah, no dairy or salt

Hmm

A blended tomato or some passata might add a savoury twang but to be honest, you've used very sweet vegetables and can't add salt so it will naturally taste like baby food I'm afraid

I'm making soup just now too. Definitely need stock and seasoning.

It had a fair amount of vegetable stock in - from Knorr stock cubes, I believe. I didn't measure it properly as I just added what I needed to male it smooth.
It does have salt in, I just couldn't add more on top of that and the stock cubes.
The dairy free child also can't have tomatoes 😂😂 It's hard work! She is, weirdly, allowed a bit of butter, so that might have worked. I'll remember that next time