I need some idiot-proof soup recipes please. I mean really idiot-proof.

[fuzzpig]

My usual is leek and potato which I do by boiling potato and leek (funny, that) with minimum stock and a little butter, then blending it, adding milk if it's too thick.

Last week I tried one I learned at work - you roast a sweet potato, red peppers and red onion for about 40mins, then blend it with stock.

I am now working full time and doing a hot lunch so I would love some more very very VERY simple ideas.

:)

Tomato, Lentil and Bacon

1 can chopped tomatoes
3oz red lentils
2 thick rashers lean smoked bacon
1 large carrot
1 onion
Butter
Olive oil
Water
Seasoning

• Chop the carrot, onion and bacon finely and 'sweat' gently in a little oil and butter for about 10 mins.
• Add the lentils, can of tomatoes and then fill the empty can with water twice and add this to the pot. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper
• Simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes until the lentils have disappeared to a fluff
• Blend with a stick blender, add a little salt if you think it needs it. Serve

Leek and potatoe is my best. I too need other ideas so am following this thread with interest. I do a slow roast veg, but quite wintry, very tasty tho.
It's a leek,onion, parsnip, carrots and squash or some such, all added to hot stock, then put in a Louise oven for 2 hrs. It's a delis recipe, so check her site for better recipe. Nice tho.

butternut squash....ideally quarter it and roast it, scoop the soft flesh into a pan, with some sweated onion or shallot if you like, not essential but it does improve the depth of flavour.

add some stock, veg or chicken as you prefer, boil and blitz! Also S&P.

you can put bacon or ham in with the onions if you like.

Ooh, one of my favourites goes like this:

Pea soup

Boil frozen peas in water with a knob of butter, salt, pepper, garlic clove peeled and chopped in half.

Blend (peas plus cooking water).

Stir in a generous tablespoon of pesto.

It's really delicious and very quick!

Also have a lovely tomato and lentil soup:

Chop an onion. Fry it a bit. Add a tin of tomatoes, some stock, some tomato juice (I always use value / basics range of tom juice and it's still v tasty), bit of dried (or fresh I suppose) thyme, half teaspoon of marmite, salt, pepper and some red lentils. Simmer until the lentils are done. Blend. Delicious.

Always make double and freeze half.

Would you like exact quantities or are you good at using your intuition?!

One large onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
4 sticks of celery, chopped

Fry them all together in butter with a sloosh of olive oil

Season with salt and black pepper and add whatever dried herbs you like

When softened, add chicken stock (either your own or made up with a stock cube) - you need to be adding about a litre.

Then add a tin/carton of chopped tomatoes.

Simmer for about half an hour, until the veg is soft, then blend - in a liquidiser or with a stick blender.

Roast parsnip.

Roast some parsnips, put in a saucepan with some stock, blend. Cook some pancetta to have with it.

You can add bacon to this, and/or red lentils. Sometimes I also put curry powder in when I'm frying the veg to start with.

Tomato and Basil

2 tins tomatoes
1 onion roughly chopped
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, r/chopped
generous pinch oregano
1 tsp sugar
1 pint chicken or veg stock
very generous handful basil, stalks and all.

Sweat the onions, garlic and celery for about 5 minutes with a splash of olive oil and then add the rest of the ingredients (but only half of the basil). Simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Add the rest of the basil and whizz. Check seasoning and add s+p if you need it. Splash of balsamic is good too.

I regularly make a 'Throw whatever is in the fridge' soup. Base of onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Then anything knocking about that's perhaps past its best. Cauliflower, broccoli and courgette is nice, but equally I can add mushrooms and tomatoes and extra celery in too.

In the summer lettuce soup is deliciously refreshing, as is spinach and watercress.

Same base for both:

1 onion, roughly chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
1 medium potato, sliced

Sweat for a few minutes in a bit of olive oil or butter. Add in a pint and a half of chicken or veg stock, simmer for 15 minutes, add the lettuce (roughly chopped) or a bag each of spinach and watercress and simmer for a further five minutes. Whizz, maybe add a touch of milk if too thick, season with S&P and maybe a grating of nutmeg.

Thought of another: Curried parsnip soup

Fry parsnip chunks with some curry spices you have handy (eg garam masala, or tumeric / cumin / coriander, or mild curry powder). Cook parsnips (and potatoes if prefer slightly less strong parsnip-y taste) in stock. Blend.

Yum!

These all sound lovely keep em coming :o

I do one with a bag of frozen peas, a potato to thicken, a fried onion (because all soup recipies start with a fried onion) and a tablespoon of mustard. Boil and blend. Ham or bacon for non veggies.

this is a really good book

I always think that blending soup is the biggest hassle, so I like ones that don't need blending.

Leek and potato
Lentil and coconut milk
Vege and lentil
Veg and barley

are our favourites.

here's the lentil and coconut milk one - finely dice an onion and three carrots (can add other vege at this point too) and fry with a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a bit of ginger, some chilli flakes and turmeric. Then add a tin of coconut milk, water and about 200g lentils and cook until the lentils are soft (you will prob need more water). Can add shredded cabbage, spinach, some frozen peas etc just before done if you like. Lots of black pepper and a bit of salt to finish plus a good squeeze of lemon juice. Oh and you can add passata too if you want.

Spicy root soup
Chop and fry a potato and onion. Add various quantities of sweet potato, parsnip and carrot. Grate in some fresh ginger. Cover with stock of choice. Add a packet of creamed coconut and tablespoon curry powder. Stir and simmer until cooked. Blend. Serve with dollop of sour cream/yoghurt and coriander.

Spicy carrot and lentil:

Fry up diced onions and curry paste in some oil for a minute or so, then add diced carrot and some red lentils.= and fry for about 2 mins. Pour in stock, cover, simmer fo 20 mins. Blend if you want it smooth. You can use parnsip instead of carrot if you like.

Moroccan soup

Fry up diced onion and celery if you like it in some oil for about a minute or 2. Add a tablespoon of ground cumin and fry for another minute. Add chicken or veg stock, a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of chickpeas. Cover, bring to boil and simmer for 25 mins. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh coriander at the end to serve.

Quick veggie noodle soup:

Boil some veg or chicken stock, add a good dash of soy sace and if you like a bit of spice, some chilli paste, fresh chilli or sweet chili sauce. Add some straight-to-wok noodles. Simmer for about 4 mins, then throw in some stirfry veg - I like tenderstem broccolli, pepper and carrot, but you could use a small bag of stirfry veg from the supermarket. Simmer until veg is tender. Throw in some leafy veg a minute before serving.

1. Melt some butter in a thick based pan.
2. Add about half a teaspoon of ground cumin and the same of ground coriander. Put in some chilli powder - up to you how spicy you like it - probably not more than half a teaspoon.
3. Soften an onion (or a leek or 2) and a couple of cloves of garlic (crushed) in the seasoned butter.
4. Cut up (no need to peel) 2 potatoes (or sweet potatoes) and 1 butternut squash (remove seeds, again no need to peel). Add this to the mix and stir it around a bit.
5. Cover the veg with water, bring it to the boil and add a veg stock cube (or 3-4 teaspoons of marigold bouillon).
6. Shove a lid on and when the veg is soft turn the heat off.
7. Blend it

When you take it in to work put a handful of spinach on the top - it'll cook with the soup.

Really good - and very filling.

My top tip - I used to spend a fortune on M&S soups then tried to recreate the ones I liked - it's pretty easy if you look at the ingredients (and mine were always nicer)

I like leek and potato with a bag of watercress chucked in for the last few minutes before blending, gives it a bit more flavour.

This tomato and red lentil soup couldn't be easier too.

One I used to do without much hassle was a country veg soup:

Veg such as carrots, onion, pots, swede, celery

pkt of whitworths soup mix (so there's your pearl barley, lentils, split peas etc)

Oxo veg cubes

Fry prepared veg in butter (bit fattening)

then add the stock, about a pint and a half

and then the soup mix

oh and tomato puree

a variation of this would be to add shredded cabbage and pasta and call it minestrone, but omit the soup mix

A few recipes here. The pea & pesto one is very nice! and teh kidslove the fish finger croutons.

Ooh I'm feeling inspired.

Spookey I have to ask wtf is a Louise oven?!

Wigeon I'm ok at using intuition, I'm not that keen on following recipes, measuring etc.

Easiest and yummiest one i've ever tried is slow cooked root veg soup -

carrots, celeriac, leeks, swede and onion all peeled/trimmed and cut up into circa 2 inch pieces. Put them in a large casserole dish, cover with lots of veg stock, add bay leaves and season. Put it in a very low over (140 degrees) for 3 hours (I usually put in in the bottom of the oven, then put a casserole above it to make most of having oven on)

Once it's cooked, you just need to blend it. Is even nicer if you put a spoonful of greek yogurt on top.